THE  UNIVERSITY  OF 

NORTH  CAROLINA 

LIBRARY 


THE  WILMER  COLLECTION 

OF  CI\  IL  WAR  NOVELS 

PRESENTED  BY 

RICHARD  H.  WILMER,  JR. 


^'  c 


Uanfas  5torp.— JFrontisptrrr. 


It  s  no  use:  I'm  finished. 


KATE    MORGAN 


AND 


HER  SOLDIERS, 


PHILADELPHIA: 

AMERICAN    SUNDAY-SCHOOL    UNION. 

1122  Chestnut  Street. 


New  York : 

599  Broadway. 


Boston  I 

117  Washington  St. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress  in  the  year  1862,  by  the 

AMERICAN  SUNDAY-SCHOOL  UNION, 

in  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  Eastern  Dis- 
trict of  Pennsylvania. 


NOTE 


The  following  story  appeared  originally  in  one  of 
our  leading  religious  periodicals,  the  author  reserving 
the  copyright.  It  excited  very  general  interest,  and 
urgent  requests  for  its  publication  in  book  form  were 
received  from  many  quarters. 

In  reply  to  an  inquiry  as  to  the  character  of  the 
narrative,  the  author  says,  it  "is  mainly  only  too 
true." 


602981 


PART  I. 
LIFE    IN    KANSAS 


CONTENTS. 
Chapter  I. — Leaving  New  England, 
II. — Preparing  to  Go, 
III. — SxiLii  Preparing  to  Go, 
IV. — Setting  Out, 
V. — An  Adventure  at  St.  Louis, 
VI. — An  Unexpected  Accession, 
VII. — Settlement,   .        .        •        . 
VIII — Somebody  Comes,  . 
IX. — Gloomy  Prospect, 
X. — Prayer  Answered, 


18 
22 
28 
35 
48 
57 
70 
82 


1* 


LIFE  IN  KANSAS. 


CHAPTER   I, 

LEAVING   NEW   ENGLAND. 

Lizzie  Merwin  shut  the  "  keeping  room" 
door  with  great  care,  one  night,  almost  four 
years  ago,  and  as  she  did  so,  she  put  her 
finger  to  her  lips  in  token  of  silence.  Her 
brother,  Sydney  Merwin,  and  her  cousin, 
Katie  Morgan,  had  come  with  her  out  of  the 
'*  keeping  room, ' '  and  at  the  instant  Lizzie  gave 
this  invitation  to  silence,  one  of  Sydney's  feet 
had  reached  the  first  step  of  the  staircase. 

Katie  Morgan  laid  a  finger  on  his  arm. 
Sydney  turned  around,  and  looking  at  his 
sister  Lizzie,  asked,  "What  is  the  matter?" 

"  Please  take  off  your  boots,  Sydney,  be- 
fore you  go  up  stairs.     I  am  sure  father  is 


10  LIFE    IN    KANSAS. 

sick  to-night,  I  never  saw  him  look  so  be- 
fore," answered  Lizzie. 

'  Sydney  looked  doubtful.  Katie  came  to 
Lizzie's  defense  by  saying,  "  Something  is 
the  matter  with  uncle  John,  Sydney." 

Sydney  sat  down  upon  the  stair,  and  drew 
off  his  heavy  boots  with  a  great  sigh.  Lizzie 
caught  them  before  Sydney  threw  them 
down,  but  he  disappointed  her  efforts  at 
silence  by  opening  the  door  that  she  had  shut 
with  so  much  care. 

Mr.  Merwin  looked  up.  ''I  thought  you 
had  gone  to  bed,"  he  said. 

^' Shall  I  go  for  the  doctor?"  asked  Sydney. 

^'  For  the  doctor,  my  boy  ?  Who  wants 
the  doctor  ?" 

''  Lizzie  said  she  knew  you  were  sick,  and 
I  thought  I  would  ask  before  I  went  to  bed." 

"  Where  is  Lizzie?" 

''Here,  sir,"  and  Sydney  stepped  aside 
that  his  father  might  see  his  sister.  ^ 

Mrs.  Merwin  had  been  sitting  beside  a  lit-g§ 
tie  round  stand  that  had  been  in  the  family 
since  the  great-grandmother  was  a  little  girl, 
whose  brown  grave-stone  the   children   had 
that  very  day  been  trying  to  take  the  moss 


LEAVING   NEW    ENGLAND.  11 

from,  that  they  might  read  the  epitaph- 
on  it. 

On  the  little  round  stand  lay  the  week's 
stockings,  of  all  sizes,  from  Mr.  Merwin's 
down  to  those  worn  by  two  tiny  feet  that  had 
never  walked.  Baby  was  asleep  in  the 
cradle,  and  this  was  Mrs.  Merwin's  time  to 
mend  the  stockings.  She  must  have  laid 
down  the  very  ojie  that  she  was  mending 
when  the  children  said  "good-night,"  for 
her  hands  were  folded  quite  still  when  Sydney 
opened  the  door. 

She  spoke  very  softly  to  her.  husband. 
She  said,  "  It  is  all  decided  noT^,  and  the 
children  may  as  well  know  of  it." 

''  Come  in,  all  of  you,"  said  Mr.  Merwin. 

"  Just  wait  till  I  get  my  boots  on,"  whis- 
pered Sydney.  ''  I  shall  have  to  go  for  the 
doctor  now,  I  know,"  and  he  sat  down  on  the 
step  again  and  drew  on  the  boots,  Katie  and 
Lizzie  waiting  for  him. 

There  was  a  mystery  in  Sycamore  Cottage 
that  July  night,  almost  four  years  ago,  and 
the  three  children  were  awed  by  it,  and  they 
went  back  into  the  ''keeping  room"  in 
a   hushed    kind   of    way    that    all    children 


12  LIFE    IN    KANSAS. 

have,  either   in  the  presence  of  sorrow  or 
mystery. 

Mr.  Merwin  held  out  his  hand  to  his  eldest 
child,  Sydney,  and  drew  him  to  his  side. 
Lizzie  and  Katie  stood  near  the  round  stand, 
and  waited  in  silence. 

At  last  Mr.  Merwin  found  voice  to  speak. 
*' Children,"  he  said,  ''in  three  weeks  from 
to-day  we  shall  be  ready  to  leave  this  place." 

''Leave  Sycamore  Cottage!"  exclaimed 
Sydney  and  Lizzie.  "What  for?  There  isn't 
a  place  half  so  nice  in  Greendale ;  not  another 
one  that  I  would  like  to  live  in  at  all." 

"But  we  are  not  going  to  live  in  Green- 
dale,  and  you  will  not  have  to  choose  your 
house." 

Speechless  with  astonishment  the  children 
did  not  know  what  to  say.  Life  beyond 
Greendale  was  all  one  great  dark  cloud,  and 
they  could  not  see  into  it. 

At  last  Katie  Morgan  spoke:  "Are  we  all 
going  to  die.  Uncle  John  ?"  she  asked,  in  the 
most  serious  manner. 

This  question  aroused  Sydney.  "  Shall  I 
go  for  the  doctor  now  ?"  he  asked.  "  It  will 
be  too  late  if  I  wait  any  longer ;  ..the  doctor 


LEAVING    NEW    ENGLAND.  13 

wont  go  out  after  nine  o'clock.     I  heard  '  his 
man'  say  so  yesterday." 

''  The  doctor  and  '  his  man'  may  stay  at 
home  to-night,"  said  Mr.  Merwin.  ''I  am  not 
sick,  Sydney,  I  am  only  troubled." 

''  Do  you  owe  anybody,  father?  If  you  do, 
there  is  my  savings  bank,  up  stairs ;  it  has 
ever  so  many  pieces  in  it ;  you  may  have  them 
all,  and  then  may  be  we  can  live  here  ever  so 
much  longer." 

''  Sycamore  Cottage  is  sold,  Sydney.  I  am 
to  get  the  money  for  it  to-morrow,  and  in 
three  weeks  we  shall  be  on  our  way  to 
Kansas." 

"  Kansas  !  What  is  that?  Where  is  it?" 
asked  Lizzie;  "  I  never  heard  of  it." 

''It  is  a  country  far  away,  across  ever  so 
many  States,  and  Indians  live  there/'  said 
Sydney.  ''  I  know  them,  the  Pottowatomies, 
Pawnees,  Dekwares,  lowas,  Otoes,  and  the 
Sacs  and  Foxes.  I  learned  about  them  last 
week,  but  I  never  thought  I  should  see 
them." 

''  I  don't  want  to  go;  it's  a  horrid  country; 
do  let  us  stay  in  Greendale ;  there  isn't 
anything     Indian    here     except     that    big 


14  LIFE   IN   KANSAS. 

mound,  where  they  say  Indians  are  buried, 
and  the  tomahawk  that  the  man  has  who 
lives  over  Fir  Hill;  dont  let  us  go,  father," 
and  Lizzie  Merwin  took  up  her  father's  hand, 
in  a  very  pleading  manner. 

''  Uncle  John,  please  tell  me  what  you  are 
going  for,"  said  Katie  Morgan. 

"  I  am  going,  Katie,  because  I  think  it 
right  to  go ;  because  I  can  do  more  good  in 
Kansas  than  I  can  here." 

"  Uncle  John,  are  you  going  to  be  a  mis- 
sionary to  those  Indians  ? — I  forget  what 
Sydney  called  them." 

"  You  can't,  father ;  you  can't  talk  Indian 
one  bit!"  exclaimed  Lizzie.  "And  if  they 
were  telling  me  they  would  kill  me  and  eat 
me  up  afterwards,  I  shouldn't  know  what 
they  meant,"  and  Lizzie's  eyes  showed  all  the 
horror  her  words  suggested. 

Mr.  Merwin  quieted  all  the  fear  of  Indians, 
and  told  the  children  the  story  of  the  country 
to  which  they  were  soon  to  go.  "  We  shall 
have  to  build  our  house,"  he  said,  "  for  there 
are  no  houses  to  buy  or  rent  in  that  part  of 
Kansas,  and  so,  you  know,  we  can  build  it  to 
suit  ourselves." 


LEAVING   NEW   ENGLAND.  15 

''  Out  of  logs  ?"  suggested  Sydney. 
"  Out  of  logs,  my  boy,  until  we  can  get  a 
better  house  built." 

And  the  little  circle  stayed  and  talked  a 
long,  long  time,  and  built  the  house  of  logs  in 
imagination,  very  strong,  and  high,  and  krge, 
and  all  at  once  it  fell,  like  that  which  the 
foolish  man  built  on  the  sand,  because  it  had 
no  foundation. 

^  Katie  took  out  the  key  stone  by  the  ques- 
tion, ''  What  are  we  going  to  do  until  we 
get  the  house  built.  Uncle  ?  Shall  we  live  in 
the  woods  ?  Bugs  and  things  will  bite  the 
baby,  and  it  rains  out  in  Kansas  sometimes 
doesn't  it?"  •     ' 

Sydney  looked  at  his  boots,  and  said, 
''What  if  a  snake  should  bite  the  baby  in  the 
woods,  are  there  any  doctors  in  Kansas  ?" 

''The  doctor  is  going  with  us," replied  Mr 
Merwin,  -and  we  are  to  live  in  a  large  camp- 
wagon  until  we  can  cut  down  the  trees  and 
make  our  house,  if  we  cannot  find  any  other 
place  to  stay  in." 

Lizzie  looked  very  doubtful.     '^  Shall  you 
like  it,  mother  ?     Can  you  bake  or  get  break- 
fast in  a  wagon  ?" 
2 


16  LIFE    IN    KANSAS. 

"  0,  we  can  make  fires  in  the  woods,  and 
burn  up  a  prairie  to  make  tea  by,  so  that  we 
shall  have  plenty  of  light  to  go  to  bed  with. 
I  shall  like  Kansas,  I  think,  father,"  said 
Sydney,  "  and  if  Frank  Lines  is  going  too, 
that  will  be  so  much  better.  I  hope  I  shall 
see  just  one  live  Indian  before  they  all  go 
away  from  Kansas,  that  is,  if  he  doesn't  ask 
for  my  scalp." 

"  I  wish  you  wouldn't  talk  any  more  about 
the  Indians,"  said  Katie. 

"  I  wont,"  replied  Sydney. 

''Go  to  bed  now,  my  children,  and  don't 
think  any  more  about  it  until  to-morrow 
morning,"  said  Mrs.  Merwin,  and  the  three 
little  ones  said  the  second  ''  good  night,"  and 
Lizzie  once  more  closed  the  ''keeping-room" 
door. 

It  was  very  late  when  Mrs.  Merwin  rolled 
away  the  last  pair  of  stockings,  and  there 
came  up  a  great  sigh  as  she  put  back  the  lit- 
tle round  stand  to  its  place  in  the  corner, 
where  it  had  been  at  home  since  the  day  be- 
fore her  marriage,  the  very  place  her  mo- 
ther's hands  had  assigned  it  when  she  came 
to  arrange  Sycamore  Cottage   for   the  fair 


LEAVING   NEW   ENGLAND.  17 

young  bride,  who  now  cautiously  approached 
the  cradle  at  a  small  stir  that  caught  her  at- 
tention. 

Up  the  stairs  Sydney  lay  awake  until  he 
thought  the  summer  and  the  winter  stars  had 
all  got  mixed  up  together;  the  stars  that 
came  up  so  late  he  had  never  before  seen  in 
a  July  night. 

Lizzie  and  her  cousin  Katie  were  talkiag 
still,  when  Mrs.  Merwin  went  up  to  see  that 
all  was  safe  for  the  night,  talking  in  childish 
wonder  about  the  mighty  Kansas  that  lay 
beyond  so  many  rivers  in  the  great  land  of 
the  West. 


GHAPTEE    II. 

PEEPARING   TO   GO. 

"  Isn't  it  queer,  Lizzie,  to  think  of  the  last 
morning  we  shall  wake  up  and  find  ourselves 
in  this  little  bed?"  asked  Katie,  as  the 
"  getting-up"  bell  rang,  and  she  opened  her 
hazel  eyes  to  the  light. 

''I  don't  know,"  sleepily  answered  Lizzie, 
and  she  went  back  to  the  dream  her  cousin 
aroused  her  from. 

Katie  lay  quite  still,  thinking,  thinking, 
with  a  grave,  old  way,  that  was  quite  be- 
yond her  years,  until  Sydney  knocked  on  the 
waU.  ''  Are  you  going  to  sleep  all  day?"  he 
called. 

Katie  gave  the  answering  knock  on  the 
wall,  and  leaning  over  Lizzie,  gave  her  a 
good-morning  kiss.  "  Wake  up.  Cousin  Liz- 
zie, we've  ever  so  much  to  do  to  get  ready 
to  go  to  Kansas." 

''I  was  dreaming  about  it,"  said  Lizzie. 


PREPARING   TO    GO.  19 

"  Mother  had  just  got  tea  ready,  and  the 
great  red  sun  was  going  down  behind  the 
trees,  when  a  bear,  or  a  wolf,  or  something — 
it  was  so  quick  I  couldn't  tell  what  it  was — 
came  running  out  of  the  woods  and  snatched 
all  the  supper  off  the  table,  and  was  gone  be- 
fore father  could  load  his  gun." 

"  I  don't  believe  we  shall  have  any  bears 
or  tables  either  in  Kansas,"  said  Katie;  ''  so  I 
don't  believe  your  dream  will  come  true ;  but 
do  you  know  that  breakfast  is  ready  ?  There 
goes  the  bell !" 

"  Three  weeks,  mother  !  What  time  in  the 
summer  will  it  be  when  we  go  ?"  asked  Liz- 
zie at  breakfast,  fully  awake  at  last. 

''  The  first  day  of  August,  and  you  and 
Katie  may  as  well  bring  your  books  home 
from  school  to-night,  for  I  shall  want  the 
help  of  all  the  little  hands  in  my  camp,  to  be 
ready  in  time." 

"  Mother  talks  like  a  soldier  already,"  ad- 
miringly said  Sydney ;  ''  I  think  she  will  get 
on  in  Kansas,  or  anywhere,  for  that,"  linger- 
ingly  said  the  boy,  and  he  looked  at  her  with 
praise  in  his  eyes,  as  true  as  that  which 
greeted  her  years  ago,  when  she  came,  a 
2* 


20  LIFE    IN    KANSAS. 

sunny-haired  young  bride,  to  make  life  sweet 
in  Sycamore  cottage. 

Sycamore  Cottage  was  a  lovely  home.  It 
had  soft  curves  of  wood  and  stone,  and  the 
very  outside  wore  an  expression  of  the  charm 
within.  It  was  in  the  midst  of  a  grove  of 
sycamores  and  grand  old  oaks,  that  wear  all 
winter  their  rustling  leaves,  changed  to  the 
dark  red  hue,  that  the  autumnal  equinoctial 
has  no  power  to  turn  or  sweep  from  their  true 
allegiance.  But  it  was  summer  now,  and  dark 
red  had  given  place  to  the  brilliant,  shining 
green,  and  all  along  the  ground  lay  sycamore 
balls,  beaten  from  the  trees  by  high  winds. 

It  was  in  the  afternoon  of  the  same  day, 
that  Lizzie  and  Katie  were  hastening  home 
from  school,  each  heavily  laden  with  a  satchel 
of  books  on  one  arm,  and  the  other  filled 
with  articles  that  satchels  could  not  hold, 
when,  just  as  they  entered  the  enclosure,  they 
met  a  strange  gentleman  coming  down  the 
walk  from  the  house.  Great  drops  began  to 
fall  through  the  trees  at  the  moment  he  met 
the  children,  and  he  turned  and  walked  back 
with  them,  carrying  both  their  heavy  satchels. 

"  Do  you  like  to  leave  this  pretty  place?" 
he  asked. 


PREPARING   TO    GO.  21 

"No,  indeed  we  do  not,"  answered  Katie; 
*'  and  for  my  part  I  wish  Kansas  might  be 
left  to  the  Great  West  and  the  Indians. 
Have  you  ever  been  in  Kansas,  Sir?" 

''Yes,  my  dear,"  answered  the  stranger, 
''  and  we  only  want  a  few  good  men,  like  your 
father  there,  with  their  families,  to  make  it 
a  delightful  place." 

"  Is  it  you  who  have  been  coaxing  my  fa- 
ther to  go?"  asked  Lizzie. 

''  Not  coaxing,  only  telling  him  how  much 
good  he  may  do  by  going,  and  you,  too,  little 
girl." 

Now  they  were  out  of  the  sheltering  trees, 
and  the  rain  fell  fast,  so  that  the  three  ran 
a  race  for  the  verandah,  where  they  met  Mr. 
Merwin.  The  gentleman  was  Mr.  Graves, 
who  stayed  at  Sycamore  Cottage  that  night, 
and  told  the  children  marvellous  stories  about 
the  country  beyond  the  Mississippi  and  the 
Missouri,  until  Kansas  grew  in  their  imagi- 
nation into  enchanted  land,  and  Lizzie  went 
to  sleep  imagining  herself  resting  under  a 
bouquet  of  prairie  flowers  larger  than  her 
grandmother's  bed-quilt,  ornamented  with 
the  ''  rising  sun." 


CHAPTER    III. 

STILL    PREPARING    TO    GO. 

Lizzie  Merwin  sat  on  the  floor  of  the  gar- 
ret in  Sycamore  Cottage.  Strewn  around 
her  were  the  "  playthings"  of  all  her  little 
lifetime.  The  oval  window  at  either  end  of 
the  garret  was  swung  open,  to  let  in  the  July 
airs  that  were  stirring  outside.  Lizzie  look- 
ed up  from  the  last  new  doll,  whose  waxen 
face  she  had  just  hidden  from  view  under  a 
fold  of  cotton,  not  to  be  looked  at  again  until 
she  unpacked  it  in  far-away  Kansas.  She 
gazed  at  the  scene  in  childish  dismay,  and 
exclaimed,  '^  Oh  dear,  dear  !  We  never  shall 
get  ready.  Look,  Katie  Morgan,  at  all  these 
things!" 

For  two  or  three  minutes  Lizzie  and  Katie 
surveyed  the  garret  in  silence.  There  hung 
''Robin  Hood,"  the  sled,  just  softly  touched 
with  summer  airs — the  sled  that  had  sped 


iSlansas  Storg. 


O  .lear,  dear!     We  ,ucr.r  .hall  set  ready.     Look,  Kalie  Morg-au. 
at  all  these  things."  P- -- 


STILL    PREPARING   TO  GO.  23 

with  arrowy-swiftness  down  one-half  of  the 
snow-clad  hills  of  Greendale. 

"  I  wonder  if  we  shall  have  any  hills  in 
Kansas.  Poor  old  sled!  It  is  too  bad  to 
leave  it  behind,"  said  Katie,  and  she  took  up 
the  rope  in  her  hands,  and  stroked  lovingly 
the  coarse,  hempen  fibres. 

''But  we  cannot  carry  it.  I  heard  father 
tell  Sydney  so  yesterday,  when  he  was  pack- 
ing his  tool-chest.     There  is  no  room  for  it." 

Katie  did  not  answer,  but  she  wiped  away 
one  tear,  at  the  last  wish  for  ''  Robin  Hood," 
and  walked  to  the  swing  hanging  from  the 
rafters,  far  up  to  the  angle  of  the  roof.  "  I 
suppose  we  shan't  have  any  garret  in  a  log- 
house,"  she  said;  ''but  you  know  there  are 
plenty  of  trees  out  there.  Come,  please,  Liz- 
zie, and  hold  the  ladder  for  me.  I  am  going 
to  carry  this  dear  old  rope  with  me,  if  I  have 
to  wear  it  for  a  necklace." 

"  What  a  queer  cousin  you  are,"  exclaim- 
ed Lizzie ;  "  but  I  will  help  you  in  just  one 
minute,  as  soon  as  I  smooth  down  '  Queen 
Elizabeth's  ruffles,  so  that  they  will  fit  into 
this  box,"  and  giving  the  last  fold  to  her 
doll's  attire,  she  declared   the  queen  ready 


24  LIFE    IN    KANSAS. 

for  the  journey,  and  herself  prepared  to  assist 
Katie. 

Resting  the  top  of  the  step-ladder  against 
a  high-up  beam,  Lizzie  held  it  fast  there, 
whilst  Katie  went  up  to  unloose  the  rope. 
A  moment  later,  and  it  lay  on  the  floor. 
Never  again  would  the  strong  strands  do 
duty  in  that  garret.  Katie  came  dov/n  the 
ladder  and  laid  the  rope  in  order  very  care- 
fully, and  then  she  lifted  it  in  her  arms. 

''What  are  you  going  to  do  with  it?" 
asked  Lizzie,  as  she  saw  Katie  drawing  near 
the  stairs. 

"  Don't  ask  me,  Lizzie,"  said  Katie,  look- 
ing back,  and  thump !  thump !  on  the  stairs 
went  the  rope,  for  it  was  more  than  Katie 
could  carry,  and  she  was  forced  to  drop  it. 

Lizzie  was  too  busy  afterwards  to  ask 
Katie  what  became  of  it,  but  I  happen  to 
know  that  she  dragged  it  all  the  way  to  her 
room,  where,  coil  by  coil,  she  laid  it  into  her 
own  trunk,  that  was  standing  ready  to  be 
packed.  Then  she  very  cautiously  covered 
it  over  by  articles  of  clothing,  that  no  one 
might  see  it,  and  when  it  was  concealed,  she 
said  to  herself  with  a  deal  of  contentment, 


STILL    PREPARING   TO  GO.  25 

''  There !  I  shall  have  so  much  of  home  with 
me,  whatever  comes." 

Katie  went  back  to  the  garret,  and  with 
Lizzie  worked  steadily  and  well  until  the  sun 
went  down,  and  it  began  to  be  dark  up  among 
the  rafters. 

"  This  is  Friday,"  said  Lizzie,  as  the  last 
ray  of  sunshine  fell  from  the  western  window; 
"  we  have  only  to-morrow,  because  we  can't 
pack  on  Sunday,  you  know.  We  will  come 
up  ever  so  early  to-morrow  morning,  so  that 
we  can  finish  in  time  to  bid  good-bye  to  all 
the  girls,"  and  with  these  words  the  garret 
door  closed  behind  the  two  children,  and  the 
echoes  went  to  sleep  among  the  rafters. 

All  the  next  morning  the  little  ones  in 
Sycamore  Cottage  were  as  busy  as  beavers, 
and  when  the  dinner-bell  rang  for  the  last 
time,  the  vast  garret  was  empty  of  all  its 
treasures.  The  house  that  John  Morgan 
built,  before  he  went  to  sea,  was  given,  with 
many  a  long-drawn  breath  of  feeling  by  Syd- 
ney, to  his  best  friend,  with  a  private  agree- 
ment that  if  he  came  back  to  Greendale,  it 
should  fee  returned  to  him.  And  so  he  turned 
the  tiny  lock  of  the  tiny  door,  and  delivered 


26  LIFE    IN    KANSAS. 

the  key  thereof  to  his  friend,  and  walked 
down  from  the  door  to  the  gate,  whistling 
with  all  his  might,  lest  those  unmanly  tears 
should  come  out  and  tell  what  a  baby  he  was, 
to  cry  for  a  toy,  a  toy  his  cousin  built,  who 
went  to  sea  and  never  came  back  again,  because 
he  found  his  grave  down  amid  the  tangled 
weeds  of  the  Pacific  ocean.  At  the  gate  of 
his  best  friend's  house  lay  the  sled  that  had 
come  down  from  the  garret.  Sydney  found 
a  group  of  boys  surrounding  his  property. 

''  Holloa,  Sydney  Merwin,  have  you  gone 
crazy,  too,  to  have  your  sled  out  in  July  ?  I 
heard  my  father  say  your  father  was  crazy, 
going  away  off  to  some  good-for-nothing  place, 
where  nobody  lives,  and  nobody  don't  want 
to,  I  guess." 

''  See  here,  Jim;  it  would  be  a  little  better 
for  you  to  say  nothing  against  my  father,  for 
his  money  bought  that  sled,  and  I  was  going 
to  carry  it  to  your  house  to  give  it  to  you. 
Will  you  carry  it  home,  and  slide  down  Burnt 
Hill,  next  winter,  on  it?" 

'^  Xactly  !  I  guess  so  !  You  dont  mean  to 
say  you  give  this  to  me,  out  and  tout,  do 
you?" 


STILL   PREPARING   TO  GO.  27 

"  Of  course  I  do,  and  here's  a  good-bye  to 
you,  Jim,  I  sha'n't  see  you  again.  Don't 
forget  the  Sabbath-school.  Good-bye,  boys," 
and  Sydney  Merwin  left  the  group  standing 
there  in  amazement.  ''Jim"  was  the  worst 
boy  in  Greendale.  He  would  steal  "the  paint 
off  the  church-yard  fence,"  the  boys  used  to 
say,  ''if  it  was  painted,"  and  only  the  last 
winter,  he  actually  had  stolen  Sydney's  sled, 
the  "  Eobin  Hood,"  and  sold  it  to  a  boy  in 
the  next  village,  where,  by  chance,  Mr. 
Merwin  found  it,  and  bought  it  back,  saying 
nothing  of  the  matter  for  the  sake  of  Jim's 
mother,  who  was  a  good  woman.  Judge, 
now,  of  t^m's  surprise  at  this  gift  of  the  same 
sled  that  he  had  stolen  and  sold  !  He  picked 
it  up  and  trudged  away  with  it  down  the 
hill,  muttering  to  himself,  "  It  does  beat  all 
I  ever  saw.  I  guess  it's  me  that's  crazy, 
after  all.  I  know  just  how  '  Robin  Hood' 
feels.  I've  lifted  it  afore  now,  and  I  know 
how't  feels  to  steal,  too.  I  guess  I  will  go  to 
the  Sabbath-school  agin.  I've  never  dared 
to,  since  I  stole  this  ere  sled." 


CHAPTER    IV. 


SETTING    OUT. 


Lizzie  and  Katie  went  from  one  end  of 
Greendale  to  the  other,  up  and  down  the  long 
street  in  the  village,  that  same  Saturday  after- 
noon. They  bade  good-bye  to  little  friends, 
to  the  poor,  the  old,  and  the  hurt,  fi'om  Aunt 
Kelly,  one  of  the  ''Church's  Poor,"  as  they 
were  called,  down  to  the  Irish  woman,  whose 
name  was  Kelley,  who  had  lost  one*  eye  in  a 
quarrel,  and  who,  never  in  all  her  life  had 
heard  so  many  kind  words  as  Lizzie  and  Katie 
had  spoken  to  her,  as  she  said,  "  out  of  the 
warmest  of  places  in  their  hearts ;  and  a'most 
warmed  up  her  own." 

Now,  she  stood  at  her  hovel-door,  and  with 
one  seeing  eye,  blessed  the  two  children,  that 
"  'ud  never  come  no  more  to  spake  one  play- 
sant  word  to  the  lone  ould  woman." 

Saturday  night,  the  blessed  night  that 
rings  out  the  tocsin  of  rest  to  the  worn  and 


SETTING   OUT.      .        ,   jl  29 

weary,  came  to  Greendale,  and  found  Syca- 
more Cottage  empty  of  all  things  that  make 
home.  Everything  was  packed  away  for  the 
journey  of  next  week,  and  when  the  time 
came,  the  family  stole  silently  out  of  the 
house,  accepting  the  hospitality  .of  the  kind 
neighbour  who  was  to  receive  them  until  the 
eventful  Monday. 

Sydney  told  over  his  sorrows  at  leaving,  to 
his  ''best  friend"  that  night,  after  his  head 
was  pillowed,  and  once  more  besought  him  to 
take  good  care  of  the  house  that  his  poor 
cousin  built ;  and  this  time,  as  there  was  no 
one  but  the  moon  to  see,  he  did  not  whistle, 
but  let  a  few  tears  steal  forth  and  sink  into 
the  feathers,  without  one  thought  of  its  being 
foolish  to  cry. 

Lizzie  and  Katie  almost  whispered  their 
last  good-night,  for  the  twentieth  time  spoken, 
so  afraid  were  they  of  disturbing  some  one  at 
the  late  hour. 

"Now,  don't  let  us  speak  again,"  softly 
said  Lizzie,  and  she  turned  away  with  the 
full  intention  of  going  directly  to  sleep,  but 
her  ear  caught  a  low,  crying  sound,  that  in 
another  moment  caused  her  to  raise  her  head 
and  listen. 


30  LIFE   IN   KANSAS. 

''What  is  the  matter,  Lizzie?"  asked 
Katie. 

''  Don't  you  hear  something  crying,  Katie  ?" 

''  0,  it  is  only  a  cat, — never  mind  it." 

"  It  isn't  a  cat,  at  all,  it  is  Trip.  We  for- 
got him ;  he  has  had  no  supper,  poor  fellow  ! 
I  know  his  cry.  He  has  come  all  this  way 
after  us." 

Katie  was  up  in  an  instant,  and  before 
Lizzie  knew  what  she  intended  to  do,  she 
heard  the  door  open. 

Katie  went  down,  through  the  silent  house, 
and  opened  the  door  for  Trip,  who  gave  all 
the  thanks  in  his  power.  She  silenced  his  joy, 
as  quietly  as  she  could,  carried  him  up  stairs 
in  her  arms,  and  sat  upon  the  bed  feeding 
him  with  crackers,  that  by  chance  she  had  in 
her  pocket,  by  the  light  of  the  moon,  when, 
for  the  first  time  came  the  question,  ''What 
shall  we  do  with  Trip  ?" 

"We  can't  leave  him  here,''  sighed  Lizzie. 

"  We  won't,"  answered  Katie,  and  she  tied 
the  little  fellow  fast  to  the  bureau,  that  he 
might  not  disturb  them,  and  went  to  sleep 
with  the  idea  that  Trip  in  Kansas  would  be  a 
deal  more  valuable  than  Trip  in  Greendale. 


SETTING  OUT.  31 

And  as  for  Trip,  he  went  to  sleep,  without 
one  care  for  anything  farther  away  than  the 
present  comfort  of  lying  still,  and  going  to 
sleep. 

Sabbath  bells  rang  out  in  the  July  air  of 
Greendale,  on  the  next  morning,  and  for  the 
last  time,  Lizzie  and  Katie  prepared  to  go  to 
Sabbath-school  there. 

They  carried  with  them  the  last  books  from 
the  library,  never  more  to  take  any  thence, 
and  when  school  was  over,  and  the  farewells 
to  teacher  and  class  were  spoken,  the  two 
hearts  were  so  sad  with  all  "these  last  things" 
that  they  went  away  to  cry  a  little  while, 
amid  the  oaks  and  sycamores  around  the  de- 
serted cottage,  where  no  one  could  see,  be- 
cause 'Mt  seemed  ungrateful."  Katie  said, 
'*  to  make  Uncle  John  and  Aunt  Lizzie  feel 
bad  for  us  too." 

Sydney,  by  a  strange  fancy,  sought  the 
same  place  in  which  to  wear  away  his  grief, 
and  was  hidden,  high  up  in  a  tree,  out  of 
sight  of  Lizzie  and  Katie,  in  his  favourite 
resting-place. 

Down  on  the  mossy  bank,  underneath  this 
tree,  quite  regardless  of  '^  Sunday-dresses," 
3* 


32  LIFE   IN   KANSAS. 

sat  the  two  little  girls,  and  talked  over 
visions  of  what  they  meant  to  do  in  Kansas, 
and  Sydney  heard  every  word.  The  result 
of  their  conversation  was  a  few  more  books, 
bought  with  the  very  last  pocket  money  left, 
and  packed  away  in  trunks,  pronounced  be- 
fore incapable  of  holding  another  pin. 

The  talk  over,  the  children  went  back  to 
the  kind  neighbours,  and  Sydney  came  down 
from  the  tree,  walked  around  the  old  place, 
gathered  a  few  flower  seeds,  with  a  little  feel- 
ing of  reproach  because  it  was  done  on  Sun- 
day— ''  but  mother  certainly  must  have  for- 
gotten these,"  he  said,  as  he  gathered  up  the 
tiny  seeds  of  some  brilliant  pansies,  his 
mother's  favourites,  and  then  he  too  went 
the  way  the  little  girls  had  gone. 

The  afternoon  service  was  over,  the  pastor 
commended  to  the  God  of  the  wanderer  those 
who  were  shortly  going  to  sow  seeds  of  Chris- 
tianity in  a  new  land,  and  as  Sydney  heard 
the  prayer,  he  wondered  if  Mr.  Bacon  had 
been  up  in  the  tree  with  him,  and  heard 
Lizzie  and  Katie  tell  what  they  meant  to  do, 
out  in  the  forests  and  prairies. 


SETTING  OUT.  33 

"  It  is  time  to  get  up,  my  dear,"  said  Mrs. 
Merwin,  very  early  on  Monday  morning,  as 
she  stood  beside  the  bed  of  our  little  friends, 
and  she  kissed  Katie  ''good-morning,"  be- 
fore her  eyes  were  open ;  and  soon  as  ound  of 
''up!  up!"  rang  through  the  house,  and 
roused  every  sleeper. 

One  by  one  came  the  people  to  say  the  final 
word,  and  breathe  the  last  "  God  bless  you." 

The  carriage  came,  and  the  Merwin  family 
were  gone  from  the  neighbour's  house.  The 
Western  railway  train  came  and  the  Merwin 
family,  and  their  fellow-travellers  were  soon 
out  of  sight  of  Greendale — gone  from  the  vil- 
age,  but  not  out  of  the  warm  hearts  they  left 
beating  there,  with  love  for  them. 

Around  a  curve — and  Burnt  Hill  was  no 
longer  visible.  Mrs.  Merwin  held  fast  her 
baby,  and,  (I  hope  it  was  not  unwomanly)  she 
cried  as  she  thought  of  the  time  when  that 
hill  told  her  she  was  close  to  her  home, — and 
that  now  it  shut  her  aw>ay  from  it. 

Most  opportunely  for  the  spirit  of  the 
whole  party,  at  this  moment  Trip  barked  vi- 
gorously from  Katie's  travelling  basket,  sup- 
posed to  contain  only  provisions  for  the  jour- 


34 


LIFE    IN   KANSAS. 


ney.  Baby  clapped  his  hands,  Sydney  cried 
"  hurrah !  three  cheers  for  yon,  Katie !  You've 
outdone  us  all;  we  forgot  Trip." 

It  was  too  late  to  veto  Trip's  journey  to 
Kansas,  and  Katie  rejoiced,  and  Trip  enjoyed 
evidently  every  turn  of  the  wheels  that  bore 
them  onward. 


CHAPTER    V. 

AN   ADVENTURE   AT    ST.    LOUIS. 

Three  weeks  after  tlie  Kansas  party  left 
Greendale,  one  Saturday  morning  the  group 
stood  at  a  steamboat  landing  in  the  city  of 
St.  Louis. 

There  had  been  last  visits  to  make  with 
friends  who  lived  on  the  way,  and  Mr.  Mer- 
win  had  given  his  children  one  look  at  a  few 
of  God's  great  wonders. 

Sydney,  Lizzie,  Katie  Morgan,  and  Frank 
Lines  had  beheld  the  terrible  front  of  Niao-a- 

o 

ra.  Very  early  on  the  only  morning  that  our 
party  was  there,  they  all  stood  to  watch  the 
rising  of  the  sun.  As  it  came  up  out  of  the 
east  and  shone  through  the  mist,  Katie  Mor- 
gan very  reverently  said,  clasping  her  aunt's 
dress  in  her  childish  eagerness,  ''0,  Aunt 
Lizzie,  look!  I  see  God's  name;  it  is  made 
out  of  the  rainbow  in  the  cloud,"  and  Katie 


36  LIFE   IN   KANSAS. 

tried  to  make  other  eyes  see  what  her's  re- 
vealed to  her. 

Again  Niagara  and  friends  were  left  far 
behind,  and  the  group  were  awaiting  the  ar- 
rival of  the  steamboat  that  was  to  convey 
them  up  the  Missouri. 

Half  of  the  morning  went  by,  and  still  the 
boat  that  had  been  signalled  had  not  come  to 
its  landing.  Mrs.  Merwin,  with  the  baby, 
sat  upon  some  of  the  household  goods  that 
were  piled  upon  the  levee,  and  waited,  fearing 
to  leave,  lest  the  boat  might  come  in  her  ab- 
sence. 

The  children  went  to  and  fro,  from  father 
and  Dr.  Lines,  to  the  place  where  Mrs.  Mer- 
win waited,  until  they  grew  tired  with  waiting 
in  the  heat  of  the  last  of  an  Ausrust  sun. 

o 

At  length,  when  Maria  (the  baby's  nurse) 
had  exhausted  her  efforts  at  quieting  the 
baby,  and  Mrs.  Merwin  was  growing  sick  at 
heart  with  waiting,  came  Mr.  Merwin  and 
Dr.  Lines. 

"  There's  no  boat  for  us  to-day,"  said  Mr.  a 
Merwin  to  the  group. 

"  Why?"  was  the  universal  question. 

"  Why,  indeed,"  answered  Dr.  Lines;  "  be- 


AN   ADVENTURE   AT   ST.    LOUIS.  37 

cause  the  boat  that  was  a  boat  is  only  a 
wreck;  it  is  blown  into  fragments,"  and  with 
a  solemn,  thankful  air,  the  gentlemen  began 
gathering  together  their  treasures  for  another 
day's  stay  in  St.  Louis,  and  they  went  to  the 
hotel  where  they  had  breakfasted,  just  in 
time  for  dinner. 

Ere  that  Saturday  night  came  down,  the 
Planter's  House,  in  St.  Louis,  was  the  scene  of 
sadness  and  woe.  Friends  came,  weeping, 
without  the  dear  ones  who  only  that  morn- 
ing had  watched  the  coming  on  of  to-day  with 
them,  some  of  whom  were  now  lying  under- 
neath the  waters  of  the  Mississippi;  others 
were  struggling  and  suffering  with  burns  and 
with  death.  Amid  these  strangers  our  little 
friends  went  with  hearts  very  full  of  kindness, 
but  they  could  only  look  on  with  pity  in  their 
eyes. 

The  New  England  party  held,  in  an  upper 
room  of  the  Planter's  House,  a  meeting  of 
gratitude  for  the  danger  they  had  escaped. 
When  it  was  over,  Frank  Lines  and  Sydney 
Merwin  went  out  where  the  gas  was  just 
brightening,  by  degrees,  the  long  hall,  as  the 
man  went  on  from  burner  to  burner. 


38  LIFE   IN   KANSAS. 

The  two  boys  went  past  the  man  in  his 
work,  and  stopped  beside  a  staircase,  only- 
half  lighted.  They  heard  some  one  sobbing  and 
crying  most  piteously.  Looking  up,  there 
sat  upon  the  steps  a  boy.  His  face  was  bowed 
and  hidden  upon  his  knees,  and  his  heart 
poured  forth  sob  after  sob,  that  shook  him 
like  an  aspen  leaf. 

Sydney  went  up  to  him,  and  sitting  down 
on  the  step  just  below,  he  said,  *'  What  is  the 
matter  with  you  ?"  Only  stronger  cries  an- 
swered Sydney. 

Frank  Lines  then  went  up.  ^'  I  say,  boy, 
what  do  you  cry  for?"  asked  Frank.  Still 
there  came  no  answer.  \ 

Sydney  laid  his  hand  upon  the  head  of  the 
boy  and  asked,  ''  Have  you  no  friends?" 

''  jSTo  !"  came  the  answer,  through  another 
flood  of  tears. 

''Where  are  they?" 

''  Gone  !"  sobbed  the  poor  boy. 

''  Why  didn't  you  go,  too  ?"  asked  Frank. 

''  I  wish  I  had,"  gasped  the  boy  in  answer; 
''  I  would  if  I  could." 

''Why  can't  you?" 

Again  the  tears  stopped  all  words,  and  it 


AN    ADVENTURE    AT    ST.    LOUIS.  39 

was  a  long  time  before  auy  more  information 
was  gained. 

Frank  and  Sydney  grew  weary  of  trying, 
and  Sydney  very  quietly  brought  Katie  Mor- 
gan to  the  scene,  and  Kate  sent  the  boys 
down  the  hall  and  drew  near  the  strange  lad, 
who  now  had  ceased  to  cry,  and  was  only 
moaning  out  his  misery. 

The  hall  was  all  lighted,  and  the  gas  shone 
even  up  this  stairway  in  the  corner,  quite  apart 
from  the  general  staircase.  Katie  noticed 
the  many  little  things  that  boys  never  see, 
that  show  a  mother's  thoughtful  care,  and  in 
her  little  heart  she  could  only  wonder  how  a 
boy  that  had  a  mother  could  feel  so  badly 
about  anything.  At  first  she  was  afraid  to 
speak ;  then  she  ventured  with,  ''  Wont  you 
tell  me  what  has  happened  to  make  you  cry  ?" 

For  the  first  time  the  boy  lifted  his  head, 
and  Katie  saw  his  face.  A  fine  and  good  face 
it  was,  although  just  now  marred  and  swollen 
by  tears.  He  looked  at  Katie  for  a  moment, 
and  then  he  said,  ''  I  haven't  any  one  to  take 
care  of  me." 

''Why?"  questioned  Katie. 

"We  were  coming  up  the  river  this  morn- 
4 


40  LIFE    IX    KANSAS. 


-"  and  here  again  came  the  sobs  and 


tears  at  the  fond  recollections  of  only  the 
morning,  whose  evening  had  come. 

''Were  yoRr  father  and  mother  hurt?" 
very  gently  whispered  Katie. 

"  They  were  killed,  and  Mamy  too." 

"Who  is  Mamy?  I  don't  know,"  said 
Katie. 

''  Mamy  was  my  sister,  and  they  were  all 
killed.  Father  is  down  at  the  place  with 
all  of  the  rest  of  the  dead  people,  and  mother 

and  Mamy  are "     He  did  not  finish  the 

sentence,    and   Katie   was    obliged    to   ask, 
''  Where  are  they  ?" 

''  In  the  river  !"  groaned  the  boy,  "  and  I 
shall  never,  never  see  them  any  more !" 

Here  Sydney  and  Frank  came  down  the 
hall,  from  their  requested  absence,  and  Trip 
came  barking  his  welcome  along  the  way, 
having  made  his  escape,  closely  followed  by 
Lizzie,  who  called,  ''Katie  Morgan,  where  are 
you?" 

"  Here,  Lizzie;"  and  Katie  ran  to  meet  her 
cousin  and  tell  of  the  sorrowful  boy  that  they 
had  found,  sitting  all  alone,  and  crying  on 
>.the   stairs.     Katie   resumed   the    questions, 


AN    ADVENTURE    AT    ST.    LOUIS.  41 

when  they  went  back,  by  asking,  "  Were 
you  almost  home  when  the  accident  came?" 

''  I  haven't  any  home." 

''  But  where  were  you  going  ?"  asked  Syd- 
ney. 

"To  Kansas — father  was  going." 

"  So  are  we  !"  exclaimed  Sydney. 

The  boy  looked  up  with  some  interest  at 
this,  and  Sydney  went  on  to  tell  how  they  had 
spent  all  the  time,  from  breakfast  to  dinner, 
waiting  for  the  boat  that  did  not  come,  to 
carry  them  up  the  river. 

When  Sydney  had  ended  his  story,  Katie 
Morgan,  with  her  childish  vigor  of  action, 
took  the  boy's  hand  in  hers  and  said, "  Come — " 

''Where?" 

"With  me,  into  my  aunt's  room,"  said 
Katie ;  and  she  led  him  away  triumphantly, 
followed  by  the  rest  of  the  party. 

She  did  not  let  go  of  him  until  she  had  him 
safely  in  the  room  and  the  door  was  shut. 

Mr.  Merwin  looked  up  at  the  entrance  of 
an  addition  to  his  number,  and  asked,  "Why 
Katie,  my  child,  what  friend  have  you  found?" 

"  I  have  found  a  boy  who  had  a  father 
and   mother   and   sister  this   morning,  who 


42  LIFE    IN    KANSAS.  v 

were  all  with  him  on  the  way  to  Kansas,  he 
says,  and  now  they  are  all  dead,  and  he  is 
left  alone." 

Mrs.  Merwin  forgot  to  hush  the  baby's 
cries,  and  let  a  few  tears  fall  in  gratitude 
that  it  was  not  her  Sydney  that  was  left  so 
destitute,  and  Mr.  Merwin  made  the  boy  tell 
him  his  history.  He  learned  his  name.  It 
was  Paul  Lee.  His  father  had  just  come 
from  California.  All  the  riches  that  he  had 
gathered  out  of  the  golden  soil  there,  were 
with  him,  and  ''he  was  going,"  Paul  said, 
"  to  settle  a  claim  in  Kansas,  but  now  he  was 
dead,  and  the  money  was  in  the  Mississippi," 
and  at  the  end  of  the  recital  came  back  all 
the  tears  as  freely  as  if  the  grief  itself  had 
but  just  come. 

Mr.  Merwin  tried  to  cheer  the  boy.  Mrs. 
Merwin  gave  the  baby  to  Maria,  and  gather- 
ed the  soft  brown  curls  of  the  boy  close  to 
her,  and  said  the  gentle  words  that  somehow, 
I  think,  never  grow  anywhere  outside  of  a 
mother's  warm  heart.  Sydney  dashed  away 
a  tear  or  two,  and  Lizzie's  and  Katie's  eyes 
were  almost  as  full  of  grief  as  Paul's,  when 
the  welcome  sound  of  the  gong  summoned 
them  to  tea. 


AN    ADVENTURE    AT    ST.    LOUIS.  43 

In  vain  Paul  pleaded  that  he  did  not 
''want  anvthino;  to  eat:"  Mrs.  Merwin  carried 
him  captive  to  the  tea-table,  and  his  boy- 
hunger  came  back  at  the  sight  of  food,  which 
he  had  not  tasted  since  morning. 

Paul  was  an  entire  stranger.  Not  one  of  the 
boat's  passengers  was  left  that  knew  him ; 
and  after  tea,  Dr.  Lines  and  Mr.  Merwin 
went  out  with  him  on  the  solemn  mission  of 
recognizing  his  dead  father.  The  boy  walked 
to  and  fro  among  the  silent,  pale  figures,  lying 
side  by  side,  until  he  found  his  father.  He 
made  him  known  to  Dr.  Lines  and  Mr.  Mer- 
win by  wildly  flinging  himself  down  beside 
one  of  the  dead,  parting  the  curling  hair 
from  his  forehead,  and  pressing  his  lips  to 
the  unanswering  eyes,  crying,  ''Father! 
Father!" 

There  was  something  not  to  be  resisted  by 
this  strong  affection,  and  Paul  won  two  manly 
hearts  as  they  lifted  him  up  from  the  dead, 
and  asked,  "Why did  you  love  your  father?" 

"  Because  he  was  my  father,"  said  Paul ; 
"  and  my  mother  loved  him,  too,  and  Mamy ; 
we  all  loved  him,  he  was  so  good." 

Mr.  Lee  needed  no  other  epitaph,  and  this 
4* 


44  LIFE    IN    KANSAS. 

lone  orphan  boy  no  other  recommendation, 
than  that  he  was  the  son  of  a  good  man. 

Mr.  Merwin  and  Dr.  Lines  took  charge  of 
Paul's  loved  father,  and  after  the  inquest, 
claimed  the  body  in  Paul's  name  for  burial. 
It  was  long  before  the  boy  could  be  coaxed 
away  fi'om  the  sad  scene  and  place,  and  at  the 
last  pale  figure  Paul  stopped. 

'•'  Is  it  any  one  you  knew  ?"  asked  Mr. 
Merwin. 

"No,"  answered  Paul,  ''but  I  saw  her  on 
the  boat ;  she  was  alone  with  her  little  girl, 
and  there  isn't  any  one  to  kiss  her,"  and  the 
boy  kneeled  down,  and  softly  touched  that 
cold  mother's  forehead  with  a  kiss,  that  if  not 
born  of  affection,  was  so  near  to  it,  that  God 
must  have  recognized  it  in  Heaven. 

When  they  reached  the  hotel,  not  one  of 
the  children  had  gone  to  bed ;  they  had  beg- 
ged to  stay  up  until  Paul  came  back,  and  one 
and  all  filled  up  the  absence  by  speculations 
concerning  his  future. 

As  was  her  custom,  Katie  decided  the  mat- 
ter in  her  own  mind,  and  ''set  about  putting 
the  business  into  shape,"  according  to  Syd- 
ney's statement. 


AN    ADVENTURE    AT    ST.    LOUIS.  45 

No  sooner  had  Dr.  Lines  said  "  good 
night,"  and  gone  to  his  room,  and  Uncle 
John  had  put  his  slippers  on  and  taken  the 
baby,  who  ought  to  have  been  asleep  long  ago, 
than  Katie  drew  near  the  formidable  rocker, 
with,  ''  if  you  please,  Uncle  John  !" 

''  Take  care,  then  of  my  grey  hair,  baby," 
and  Mr.  Merwin's  head  rose  up  from  under 
the  baby's  hands,  with,  ''  Well !  Katie." 

''Where  is  the  boy,  Paul,  going  to  stay  to- 
night?" 

''  Here,  to  be  sure." 

"  Is  he  going  to  sleep  with  Sydney?" 

"  Yes,  Katie  ;  what  then  ?" 

"  That's  all  for  to-night.  Uncle  John, 
won't  you  kiss  me  good  night  ?" 

Uncle  John  did  not  make  instant  com- 
pliance with  her  request,  but  he  asked, 
''  What  is  to-morrow's  wish,  Katie  ?" 

Katie  looked  eagerly  up,  for  something 
whispered,  ''  now  is  your  time" — "  Uncle 
John,"  said  she,  ''Is  Paul  to  go  to  Kansas 
with  us?" 

"  What  a  question,  Katie  !" 

Mrs.  Merwin  had  been  for  some*  time  un- 
packing :  just  at  this  moment  she  found  what 


46  LIFE    IN    KANSAS. 

she  had  been  searching  for,  and  Sydney  and 
Paul  said  "  good  night,"  and  the  door  of  the 
inner-room  closed  after  them,  and  Mr.  Mer- 
win  finished  his  remark  to  Katie — "  as  if  I 
hadn't  children  enough  to  take  to  Kansas 
already,  my  little  lady." 

''  I  know.  Uncle  John,  it  is  very  good  in 
you  to  take  me  with  you,  but  if  I  am  in  the 
way,  I  will  tell  you  what  you  can  do,  send  me 
back  to  stay  with  Aunt  Myra,  and  take  this 
poor  boy  with  you.  He  will  help  you  more  than 
I  can,  and  he  hasn't  any  place  in  the  whole 
world  to  go  to,  only  think, — how  dreadful !" 

*'  Let  you  go  back  to  that  cross  old  crea- 
ture !  I  guess  so,  indeed,"  exclaimed  Lizzie, 
"  and  you'd  grow  as  thin,  and  look  like  a 
little  old  thing  as  you  did  when  mother 
brought  you  to  Sycamore  cottage,"  and  Liz- 
zie grew  rosy  and  indignant  at  Aunt  Myra, 
though  she  was  a  thousand  miles  away. 

"  I  would  rather, — indeed  I  would,  Lizzie, — 
than  go  away  on  the  steamboat  Monday  morn- 
ing, and  leave  Paul  here,  because  I  shouldn't 
starve  with  x\unt  Myra,  and  she  wouldn't 
kill  me  either.  I  am  afraid  Paul  will  die  if 
you  don't  take  him,  Uncle  John." 


AX   ADVENTURE    AT   ST.    LOUIS.  47 

Uncle  John's  head  was  just  that  moment 
hidden  behind  the  fat,  laughing  baby,  and 
Katie  thought  he  was  angry  with  her. 

"  Won't  you  kiss  me  good  night,  now.  Uncle 
John  ?"  she  asked,  after  a  little  pause  that  had 
only  been  filled  with  baby's  carol  of  satisfaction. 

''  Here.  Maria,  take  the  baby,"  said  Mr. 
Merwin,  and  he  most  unceremoniously  left 
the  room,  without  giving  Katie  the  kiss  she 
had  now  twice  asked  for. 

Half  frightened  at  what  she  had  done, 
Katie  put  her  arm  around  Lizzie,  and  hurried 
her  away  to  bed. 

Katie  was  half  asleep,  a  long  time  after- 
ward, when  she  was  aroused  by  a  whisper, 
close  beside  the  bed. 

'^  Don't ;  you'll  waken  her,"  said  Aunt  Lizzie. 

"No  I  won't,  wife,"  whispered  Uncle  John, 
and  Katie  felt  the  kiss  that  she  had  been  so 
troubled  about,  and  then  the  door  closed. 
Trip  waked  up  at  the  noise,  gave  a  low, 
whining  sound,  and  then  went  back  to  his 
dreams,  doubtless  thinking  that  the  Planter's 
House  was  very  noisy. 

Katie  said  a  little  prayer  of  thankfulness 
for  everybody,  and  fell  asleep. 


CHAPTER   VI. 

AN   UNEXPECTED    ACCESSION. 

The  Sunday  that  followed  the  mournful 
Saturday  in  St.  Louis,  saw  Paul  Lee's  father 
taken  to  his  burial.  Paul  left  the  only  2:rave 
that  was  granted  to  him,  with  the  firm  con- 
viction that  he  should  come  some  day,  and 
s^e  his  father's  name  written  on  white  marble 
over  the  place  where  they  laid  him,  and 
Paul's  grief  and  tears  and  loneliness  were 
in  the  meanwhile  carving  his  own  name  on 
two  human  hearts. 

Paul  Lee  had  not  a  known  friend  on  the 
round  world,  except  tlie  kind  Merwins,  who, 
on  the  morrow,  would  be  far  from  him,  he 
thought,  on  the  Missouri ;  but  Paul  had  an 
instinctive  trust  in  his  Creator.  In  all  his 
life  that  was  gone,  he  had  found  only  love 
and  care,  and,  in  his  boy-heart,  he  felt  that 
it  had  all  come  from  God,  and  he  trusted 
Him  still,  so  that,  at  the  close  of  the  day, 


AN    UNEXPECTED    ACCESSION.  49 

full  of  this  inspiring  hope,  he  knocked  at  Mr. 
Merwin's  door. 

"  Come  in,"  cried  Sydney. 
Paul  went   directly  to   Mr.   Merwin  and 
said :  "  I've  come  to  bid  you  good  bye,  sir, 
and  to  thank  you  for  having  been  so  good  to 
me." 

''  Where  are  you  going,  Paul?"  asked  Mr. 
Merwin. 

''  I  don't  know,  sir,"  answered  Paul.  "  I 
haven't  thought,  only  I  can't  give  you  any 
more  trouble." 

"  But  who  are  you  going  to  ?" 
"  I  am  going  to  God, — now  that  I  haven't 
any  one  else  to  go  to." 

"  Is  he  going  to  kill  himself,  do  you  think  ?" 
whispered  Lizzie  to  Katie. 

"  Come  to  me,  Paul,"  said  Mr.  Merwin. 
Paul  obeyed  the  summons,  and  stood  with 
his  clear  eyes  looking  into  Mr.  Merwin's  face, 
until  Mr.  Merwin  asked,  "  Will  you  go  with 
me,  Paul,  to  Kansas?  Will  you  do  as  I 
wish  you  to?" 

Sydney  and  Lizzie  jumped  up  in  ecstasy  at 
this  question.  Sydney  cried,  ''  Capital !  I'd 
hurrah  if  'twasn't  Sunday;  may  I,  mother?" 


60  LIFE    IN    KANSAS. 

*'  Indeed,  sir,  I  will  try  to  please  you," 
said  Paul  as  soon  as  he  was  able  to  speak. 

The  children  gathered  around  Paul,  each 
one  trying  to  express  pleasure  in  some  way, 
and  even  the  baby  awakened  to  the  general 
delight.  Kate  Morgan  thought  that  Paul's 
going  to  Kansas  would  be  the  means  of  send- 
ing her  back  to  live  the  old  unhappy  life  with 
Aunt  Myra ;  and  she  consoled  herself  with 
the  sight  of  Paul's  blissful  face  and  a  vigor- 
ous hug  of  Trip,  silently  resolving  that  Trip 
should  journey  eastward  with  her ;  and  the 
dear  old  swing  lying,  coil  on  coil,  within  her 
trunk,  would  comfort  her  greatly,  when 
hanging  from  the  bell-pear  tree,  just  beside 
the  well-sweep,  outside  of  Aunt  Myra's 
house ;  and  Katie  grew  into  her  thought 
until  she  imagined  herself  in  the  swing,  hold- 
ing Trip  in  her  arms,  and  the  ground  all 
snowy  with  apple-blossoms. 

*' Katie!"  said  Aunt  Lizzie's  pleasant 
voice;  and  Katie  started  as  if  it  had  been 
xlunt  Myra  calling  to  her  "  to  come  out  of 
the  swing!"  Trip  hid  himself  under  Aunt 
Lizzie's  chair,  and  Katie  stood  beside  it,  and 
Aunt  Lizzie  asked,  "  Are  you  all  ready  for 
to-morrow?" 


AN   UNEXPECTED   ACCESSION.  51 

*'  What  time  shall  I  go,  and  who  am  I  to 
go  with?"  tremulously  questioned  Katie. 

''With  us,  to  be  sure,"  answered  Uncle 
John,  (who  suddenly  remembered  Katie's 
offer  to  return  to  her  old  home,)  "  and  as 
soon  as  the  steamer  comes." 

"Real  good  Uncle  John,"  said  Ka'tie's 
heart ;  and  it  ached  with  gratitude  for  her- 
self and  for  Paul. 


We  must  leave  our  Kansas  party  to  con- 
tinue their  travels  by  river  and  land,  until 
we  find  them,  two  weeks  later,  drawing  near 
to  the  famous  steam-ferry  of  Weston,  where 
they  were  to  cross  the  Missouri  Eiver. 

The  September  day  was  closing  into  a  twi- 
light of  surpassing  softness  and  beauty.  The 
long  train  of  heavily  laden  wagons  slowly  roll- 
ed over  the  country,  which  for  some  miles  had 
•  been  covered  with  a  growth  of  forest  trees. 

Walking  beside  one  of  the  wagons,  were 
Sydney,  Lizzie,  Katie  and  Paul,  who  for 
some  time  had  continued  their  walk,  hoping 
to  see  at  every  step  their  old  friend,  the  Mis- 
souri. But  the  river  ran  on  to  the  sea,  and  the 


52  LIFE    IN    KANSAS. 

horses  were  worn  with  the  long  journey,  and 
the  night  was  coming  on,  and  the  prospect 
of  camping  on  the  Kansas  shore  was  becoming 
very  doubtful, when  the  horses  attached  to  one 
of  the  wagons  suddenly  remembered  the  old 
prairie  days  of  their  youth,  and  forgetting 
present  incumbrances,  started  off  for  the  feed- 
ing grounds  of  their  ancestors  at  a  remark- 
able pace,  forgetting  all  their  tired  bones  in 
an  instant. 

This  escapade  of  four  hitherto  well-behaved 
animals,  put  the  entire  caravan  into  commo- 
tion, and  alarmed  the  Merwin  party,  for  Mrs. 
Merwin  and  the  baby  were  inside  of  the  great 
white  cover,  and  there  was  no  way  of  es- 
cape.   ■ 

Sydney  and  Paul  followed  the  flying  vehi- 
cle with  all  speed,  and  found  it  at  last,  lean- 
ing against  a  cotton-wood  tree,  with  only 
three  wdieels,  and  the  baggage  strewn  about 
the  grass.  Mrs.  Merwin  and  the  baby  were' 
quite  safe,  notwithstanding  the  rapid  ride; 
but  the  four  horses  were  far  away  toward  the 
Missouri,  and  Mr.  Merwin  had  gone  on  their 
track. 

The   harvest-moon  threw  a  whole  quiver 


AN    UNEXPECTED   ACCESSION.  53 

full  of  beams  over  the  waiting  party,  before 
the  runaway  horses  returned  and  permitted 
themselves  to  be  held  to  service. 

xA^fter  a  long  delay  the  broken  harness  was 
made  good,  but  not  the  wheel  and  wagon. 
The  straps  that  held  the  baggage  were  hope- 
lessly broken,  and  prairie-ships  carry  no  ex- 
tra spars.  There  seemed  no  help  for  the 
trouble,  but  to  camp  for  the  night  in  Mis- 
souri, although  just  over  the  river  lay  the 
land  of  their  hopes.  Then  Katie  Morgan  ran 
through  the  moonlight,  from  trunk  to  trunk, 
in  search  of  her  own.  She  found  it,  with  a 
huge  box  lying  above  it,  and  called  for  help 
from  Uncle  John  and  Paul. 

"  What  is  the  matter,  Katie?  Your  trea- 
sures are,  all  safe,  aren't  they?"  asked  Uncle 
John,  as  he  came  at  her  call  and  relieved  her 
property  of  its  incumbrance. 

''  I've  got  something  in  here  for  you.  Uncle 
John,  if  you'll  just  help  me  a  little."  And 
Katie  kneeled  on  the  grass  in  the  moonlight, 
and  pulled  away  at  the  straps  of  her  trunk 
with  great  vigor.  However,  Uncle  John 
achieved  the  deed,  and  Katie  proceeded  to 
unpack.     By  the  time  the  trunk  was  open. 


54  LIFE    IN    KANSAS. 

Sydney  and  Lizzie  were  upon  the  ground, 
and  looking  on  in  unfeigned  surprise  at  Katie, 
as  she  said,  '^  Uncle  John,  just  hold  this  a 
moment;  Lizzie  don't  let  my  best  dress  touch 
the  grass — there  is  dew,  you  know;  Sydney, 
be  careful  of  my  box,  it  was  John  Morgan's. 
Here,  Paul !  help  now ;  put  your  hand  under 
these  heavy  things,  till  I  get  something 
that  is  under  them  all."  And  Katie  pulled 
away  at  some  unknown  quantity  in  the  depths, 
until  she  drew  out  in  triumph  the  strong  new 
rope ! 

"There,  Uncle  John,  isn't  this  strong 
enough  to  mend  up  with?"  she  said,  relieving 
Paul  of  his  duty,  and  Uncle  John  of  his  mo- 
mentary burden. 

''Where  did  you  get  this?"  exclaimed 
every  voice  at  once. 

''At  Sycamore  cottage,"  answered  Katie, 
packing  up  her  treasures  with  all  speed. 

"  Tell  me,  is  it  our  old  swing  ?"  asked  Liz- 
zie, as  Uncle  John  walked  away  with  his 
treasure  of  hemp. 

"  It  used  to  be,"  answered  Katie,  as  she 
closed  the  cover  and  locked  the  trunk,  calling 
upon  Paul  to  strap  it  very  tight — for  she  had 


AN    UNEXPECTED    ACCESSION.  55 

a  vague  idea  that  there  was  not  so  much 
strength  in  it  after  the  rope  was  gone. 

What  Uncle  John  thus  obtained  from  Ka- 
tie did  wonderful  service.  It  held  all  the 
articles  safely  caged  at  last ;  and  the  Missouri 
was  reached  just  in  time  for  the  last  trip 
over. 

Imagine,  if  you  can,  the  steam-ferry  two 
miles  below  Weston.  A  huge,  unfinished, 
uncouth  wooden  '^contrivance,"  called  a  boat 
— in  order  to  reach  which  the  horses  and 
wagons  w^ere  compelled  to  go  down  a  steep 
place,  protected  only  by  a  few  loose  boards 
from  falling  into  the  river. 

One  by  one  they  passed  safely  over  until 
the  very  last,  which  chanced  to  be  Mr.  Mer- 
win's.  Happily  the  inmates  w^ere  all  outside, 
except  Uncle  John,  who  had  taken  command 
of  the  horses,  fearing  a  second  effort  to  es- 
cape. 

Half  way  over  the  animals  became  alarm- 
ed, and  the  foremost  two  turned  from  the 
straight  course,  and  in  a  moment  were  lost. 
The  bank  was  high  and  the  river  deep,  and 
the  harness  was  cut  just  in  time  to  save  the 
wagon  from  following  their  fate  ;  and  from 
5* 


66  LIFE    IN    KANSAS. 

the  heavy  weight  of  the  freight  upon  the 
wagon,  and  the  strength  of  Katie'  swing,  it 
regained  its  balance,  and  with  two  horses 
reached  the  boat  in  safety. 

Had  the  rope  failed,  the  treasures  from  Sy- 
camore cottage  would  have  found  a  burial 
with  the  prairie  horses  in  the  Missouri. 

The  river  was  crossed  in  safety.  A  camp- 
ing ground  was  found  on  Kansas  soil.  A  fire 
was  kindled  that  lighted  up  the  Missouri  val- 
ley for  miles.  The  white  wagons  were  drawn 
in  a  circle,  the  horses  picketed  for  the  night, 
and  the  emigrant  band  cooked  their  supper, 
ate  it  in  peace,  appointed  Paul  and  Sydney  to 
watch  till  midnight,  and  then  lay  down  to 
sleep. 

Paul  and  Sydney  carefully  kept  their  watch, 
peering  out  for  the  first  sight  of  an  Indian, 
or  a  bear,  but  none  came ;  and  the  great  har- 
vest-moon was  in  the  height  of  heaven  when 
they  were  relieved  from  duty,  and  fell  asleep. 

The  river  flowed  on,  the  tall  trees  grew  in 
the  moonlight,  and  everything  that  God  had 
made  He  kept  that  night  in  safety,  because 
they  were  His  own. 


CHAPTER    VII, 

SETTLEMENT. 

We  left  our  little  friends  asleep  beyond  the 
waters  of  the  Missouri,  and  the  harvest-moon 
keeping  watch  above  them.  The  day  came, 
and  found  them  in  safety.  Mr.  Merwin  ga- 
thered his  little  company  together  under  the 
friendly  shelter  of  the  cottonwood  tree,  and 
gave  thanks  for  preservation,  beseeching  God 
to  guide  them  to  the  place  where  he  would 
have  them  to  dwell,  and  then  the  fires  were 
replenished,  the  camp-kettle  hung  to  boil  the 
water  for  breakfast,  and  all  the  bustle  and 
hurry  of  preparing  for  a  long  march  that  day, 
went  on. 

There  were  many  sites  to  choose  from  in 
the  portion  of  Kansas  that  they  had  entered. 
New  towns  were  springing  up,  on  paper  and 
on  prairies.  The  New  England  settlement 
and  Tecumseh  were  not  far  away,  but  Dr. 
Lines  and  Mr.  Merwin  had  resolved  on  going 


LIFE    IN    KANSAS. 


where  they  would  be  quite  independent  of  all 


organizations. 


Thus  they  travelled  on,  through  acres  of 
buffalo  grass,  past  flowering  meads  of  per- 
fumed beauty,  until  there  grew  in  the  minds 
of  the  entire  party,  the  greatest  amount  of 
admiration  and  respect  for  Uncle  Sam's  great 
farm  of  two  millions  of  acres ;  and  Charley 
Lines  and  Sydney  Merwin  thought  the  coun- 
try ^'good  enough"  wherever  they  were,  and 
selected  many  places  of  abode  for  their  fathers, 
and  yet  every  morning  came  the  cry,  "  West- 
ward ho!"  until  three  weeks  after  they  left 
the  Missouri. 

It  was  mid-day  when  they  came  upon  the 
border-land  of  the  Vermillion.  All  the  morn- 
ing the  wagons  had  been  winding  on  and  up 
the  gradual  ascent,  when  the  country  arose 
in  enchanting  beauty  above  the  timber-land 
that  bordered  the  river.  Northward  and 
eastward,  as  far  as  the  sight  could  go,  lay 
throbbing  under  the  tide  of  sunbeams,  the 
great  prairie  sea,  while  just  along  its  utmost 
border  rested  the  dark  land-line  that  told 
where  a  belt  of  timber  grew  upon  a  river's  bank. 
'    Maria  and  Paul  Lee  were  unpacking  pro- 


SETTLEMENT.  59 

visions  for  the  mid-day  meal,  when  they  were 
arrested  by  very  decided  sounds  and  move- 
ments near  by.  On  the  summit  of  one  of 
those  beautiful  mounds  that  rise  up  like  great 
land-waves,  striving  to  reach  the  heavens 
above  them,  stood  that  portion  of  the  number 
not  engaged  in  the  preparations  for  dinner. 

Dr.  Lines  and  Mr.  Merwin  were  talking 
very  earnestly,  and  pointing  by  turns  in 
every  direction,  North,  East,  West  and 
South.  At  length  came  the  determined  cry 
of  ''  Alabama,"  and  the  party  on  the  mound 
took  it  up,  until  the  waters  of  the  Vermillion 
heard  it,  and  the  sound  was  wafted  off  on  the 
prairie  breeze. 

"  What  is  all  that  for  ?"  asked  Maria. 

"  They  mean  that  we  are  going  to  live 
here,"  answered  Paul.  ''Don't  you  know 
Alabama  is  the  Indian  name  for  '  Here  we 
rest.'" 

"  There  isn't  a  bit  of  a  house  here,"  answer- 
ed Maria,  looking  round;  "  there  isn't  even  a 
curl  of  smoke." 

"  Look  there  !"  answered  Paul,  pointing  to 
where  the  blue  haze  of  Indian  Summer  lay 
across  the  land.     "  Isn't  there  smoke  enough 


60  LIFE   IN   KANSAS. 

for  you,  Maria  ?  If  not,  wait  a  bit,  and  I'll 
make  some,"  and  Paul  prepared  the  fire  that 
filled  Maria's  eyes  with  smoke,  until  she 
laughingly  told  Paul  that  she  was  afraid  he 
would  build  a  house  over  her  head  before 
morning,  if  she  dared  to  wish  for  one  again. 

Now  began  life  in  earnest  to  the  late  dwell- 
ers in  Greendale.  The  party  consisted  of 
eio^hteen  souls.  Of  this  number  there  were 
three  young  men,  who,  anxious  to  try  h. 
Western  life,  had  not  the  means  to  reach  the 
land  of  their  washes,  and  had  entered  into  an 
agreement  to  serve  Mr.  Merwin  and  Dr. 
Lines  for  a  given  time  after  their  arrival,  in 
consideration  of  their  passage  to  Kansas. 

After  dinner  they  held  a  consultation  on 
the  length  of  time  it  would  require  to  build 
a  log  house,  ^'  three  stories  long,"  which  is 
the  style  of  speech  in  the  Kansas  country. 
''  One  week"  was  the  average  decision  ;  con- 
sequently it  was  voted  to  spend  the  remain- 
der of  the  day  in  providing  a  place  of  shelter 
for  the  week  to  be  spent  without  the  log 
house.  A  site  for  the  temporary  shelter  was 
chosen.  An  oak,  a  cottonwood,  a  black-jack, 
and   a  sycamore,  ''just   to  remind   them  of 


SETTLEMENT.  61 

home,"  Sydney  urged,  were  declared  to 
be  at  fit  distances  to  form  the  posts  of  the 
bower. 

Outcame  the  gleaming  axes,  ready  for  ser- 
vice in  cutting  off  the  trees  at  the  proper 
height,  and  to  clear  the  space  between.  One 
of  the  young  men  stood  with  his  axe  uplifted, 
ready  for  the  first  stroke,  when  Katie  Mor- 
gan caught  Uncle  John's  hand  as  he  was 
hastening  past.  ''  Stop  him,  please,"  she  said, 
"let  me  give  the  first  stroke." 

"  You  cut  down  a  tree,  Katie  !"  said  Uncle 
John  ;  "  but  you  shall  try,"  and  the  man  gave 
her  a  light  axe,  and  the  first  sound  of  forest- 
felling,  (not  very  powerful,  however,)  came 
from  Katie's  hand  as  she  gave  all  her  strength 
to  the  blow ;  and  the  faint  echoes  of  the  stroke 
went  wandering  over  the  prairie  after  the  cry 
of  "  Alabama." 

Katie's  mark  on  the  tree  remains  yet,  and 
the  children  point  to  it  with  pride ;  in  fact,  it 
was  very  recently  that  I  caught  Paul  Lee 
carefully  at  work  with  his  pen-knife,  taking 
out  the  mossy  growth  of  a  year,  lest  it  should 
be  quite  filled  up.  During  that  Indian  sum- 
mer afternoon,  all  entered  into  the  work  of 


62  LIFE    IN    KANSAS. 

building  the  shelter  for  the  night  that  was 
drawing  on. 

Down  came  the  tops  of  the  great  trees. 
All  the  lesser  trees  standing  within  the 
space  were  cut,  except  a  few  that  were  to  re- 
main as  columns  in  the  green  temple.  And 
whilst  the  men  filled  the  air  with  stroke  on 
stroke,  Paul,  Sydney  and  Charley  Lines,  went 
to  the  thick  woods,  near  by,  on  the  Vermil- 
lion, and  gathered  "piles"  of  the  long  dry 
moss  that  hung  from  the  branches,  to  cover 
the  roof. 

Xear  by,  Katie  and  Lizzie,  with  Maria, 
and,  in  fact,  all  who  were  not  otherwise  occu- 
pied, were  busy  in  pulling  handsful  of  the 
prairie  grass  "  that  had  come  up  in  the  spring 
and  been  growing  all  summer  on  purpose  for 
them,"  Lizzie  said,  and  they  carried  it  home 
to  help  thatch  their  forest-roof. 

Branches  were  thrown  across  the  trees  un- 
til they  met  and  mingled,  closing  in  the  roof 
of  the  bower  from  the  air  above,  and  thickly 
they  piled  the  moss  and  grass,  the  children 
gaily  throwing  it  aloft,  and  the  men  fitting  it 
in,  filling  this  and  that  crevice,  until  the  top 
was  so  thick  that  ''  never  a  drop  of  rain  could 


SETTLEMENT.  63 

get  in  ;  it  would  be  squeezed  to  death  a  try- 
ing," said  John  of  Ireland. 

Lizzie  and  Katie  went  to  the  mound  to 
survey  the  appearance  of  the  afternoon's 
labour,  and  pronounced  it  delightful.  Living 
in  such  a  house  was  charming,  in  their  view, 
and  their  faith  in  the  log  house  to  be  built, 
became  of  very  little  cousequence  in  the  pre- 
sence of  this  sylvan  abode. 

The  five  camp  wagons  were  drawn  within 
the  enclosure,  to  guard,  for  the  present,  its 
sides,  and  the  regular  night  duties  began,  but 
with  one  convenience  not  before  enjoyed  for 
many  a  day.  Two  stumps  had  been  left, 
with  special  reference  to  the  legs  of  a 
table,  and  that  night  the  board  was  literally 
spread. 

For  fifteen  minutes  after  the  house  was 
completed,  one  of  the  party  had  been  missing, 
and  a  quick  rifle-report  told  his  errand,  and 
the  prairie  chickens  he  brought  with  him, 
showed  his  true  aim,  and  ere  long  Maria 
graced  her  table  with  them,  and  it  in  turn 
was  graced  with  the  presence  of  a  happy, 
gleeful  party,  hungry,  as  people  will  he  who 
fell  trees  and  build  homes  for  themselves, 
6 


64  LIFE    IN    KANSAS. 

"in  the  sweat  of  their  brows."  The  watch- 
fire  was  kindled. 

"  What  is  the  use  of  having  any  watch  to- 
night ?"  asked  Sydney;  ''there  isn't  a  crea- 
ture in  sight.  Paul  and  I  have  just  been  in- 
to the  top  of  the  highest  tree  we  could  find, 
and  there  isn't  a  speck  of  anything. 

Happily  Sydney's  belief  was  not  contagious, 
and  the  watch  was  duly  kept.  The  hour  for 
sleep  came  down  once  more,  and  our  tired, 
thankful  friends  on  the  prairie,  beside  the 
Vermillion,  gave  themselves  to  it.  The  har- 
vest moon  had  gone  now.  In  its  stead  a  pale 
thread  of  crescent  slowly  sought  the  West 
until  it  disappeared.  As  it  did  so,  three 
dusky  forms  the  watcher  descried,  moving 
against  the  sky,  on  the  mound,  near  by.  Not 
a  sound  escaped  them.  They  were  evidently 
watching  the  enem^y's  camp  by  the  light  of 
its  fires.  The  sentinel,  who  chanced  to  be 
John  of  Ireland,  was  in  a  ''  terrible  fright." 
He  put  his  hand  to  his  head  to  see  that  the 
''lid"  of  it  was  really  there,  and  his  eyes 
grew  momently  larger  and  larger,  until,  with 
an  immense  effort,  he  seized  a  log  near  by 
and  threw  it  on  the  fire.     It  was  John  of 


SETTLEMENT.  65 

Ireland's  signal  of  alarm.  Every  soul  was 
called  back  from  sleep  to  wakefulness. 

The  baby  began  to  cry,  and  as  it  did  so,  a 
low  sound,  came  from  the  mound,  and  three 
Indians  drew  near,  and  their  eyes  peered  into 
the  circle.  No  word  had  been  spoken  inside, 
when  one  of  the  Indians  broke  through  the 
enclosure  and  seated  himself  on  the  ground, 
beside  the  burning  logs,  looking  around  on  the 
heads  that  were  peering  out  at  him  from  the 
wagons  with  a  kind  of  indifference  that  the 
Indian  alone  knows  how  to  show.  After  a 
general  survey,  seemingly  not  in  the  least 
affrighted  by  the  rifles  that  Dr.  Lines  and  Mr. 
Merwin  had  seized  at  the  first  alarm,  this 
Indian  emitted  sounds  that  had  no  meaning  to 
any  except  the  two  outside,  who  came  in,  as 
the  first  had  done,  and  seated  themselves  by 
the  fire.  They  had  their  usual  weapons  :  the 
scalping-knife  and  arrows,  painted  and  tipped 
with  gorgeous  dyes,  ornamented  their  per- 
sons, only  less  brilliant  than  they. 

It  would  be  impossible  to  describe  the  ex- 
citement and  alarm  that  this  arrival  caused. 
Sydney  would  rather  have  gone  without  his 
sight  of  ''  one  live  Indian,"  than  to  have  been 


66  LIFE    IN    KANSAS. 

awakened  out  of  sleep  by  the  "  dread  three," 
who  had  come  unbidden.  There  they  sat, 
their  scalp-locks  lifting  themselves  with  a  de- 
fiant air  to  all  the  world,  and  their  painted 
faces  gleaming  with  unearthly  coloring.  One 
of  the  three  wore  about  his  neck  strings 
of  glass  beads,  clasped  with  a  huge  clam- 
shell, and  a  fringe  of  feathers  depended  from 
his  blanket.  John  of  Ireland  had  been 
whiling  away  the  hours  of  his  watch,  contrary 
to  orders,  by  smoking  his  pipe.  He  had  hid- 
den it,  at  the  first  sight  of  danger,  utterly 
unconscious  of  the  lingering  perfume. 

The  chief  man  of  the  party  addressed  John 
by  the  exclamation,  "  Chebok  !  Ghebok  !" 

John  was  in  consternation,  and  when  -the 
speaker  approached  him  to  confirm  the  ear- 
nestness of  his  demand,  John  fled  ignomini- 
ously,  and  climbed  with  speed  into  the  high- 
est wagon. 

"  Hi !"  exclaimed  the  Indian;  ''chebok!" 
as  John  fled,  dropping  his  pipe  and  tobacco, 
and  picking  up  the  pipe  he  filled  it  anew, 
gave  one  puff  at  it,  and  then  handed  it 
to  the  hitherto  immovable  figure  sitting  next 
him.     In  like  manner  he  passed  it  to  the 


SETTLEMENT.  67 

third,  who  extended  it  to  Dr.  Lines.  There 
was  no  help  for  Dr.  Lines ;  he  was  compelled 
by  courtesy  to  put  John  of  Ireland's  pipe  to 
his  lips.  Quietly  pocketing  the  pipe,  after 
it  had  gone  the  rounds  of  the  party,  the  In- 
dians managed  to  make  it  understood  that 
they  wanted  food.  It  was  given,  the  tobacco 
pouch  filled  for  them,  and  just  as  the  day  was 
breaking,  the  Kaws,  or  Kansas  Indians,  left, 
to  the  intense  comfort  of  all  concerned.  As 
he  who  wore  the  clam-shell  went,  he  rent  two 
of  the  feathers  from  his  blanket,  and  crossing 
them,  laid  them  down  beside  the  fire,  in  token 
of  amity  and  a  kindness  received. 

Mr.  Merwin  carefully  preserved  these  fea- 
thers, thinking  that  the  day  might  come, 
when  they  would  be  of  good  service. 

At  breakfast-call,  Sydney  and  Paul  were 
again  at  topmast,  surveying  the  country,  and 
they  saw  afar  off,  on  the  horizon's  rim,  three 
swift  horses  flying  with  the  wind,  and  knew 
that  they  carried  last  night's  visitors. 

A  week  later,  and  the  log-house,  three  sto- 
ries long,  was  completed.  The  trees  had 
been  felled,  the  logs  placed  and  filled  in  with 
the  red  mud  of  the  Vermillion,  the  roof  was 


68  LIFE    IN    KANSAS. 

covered — thatched,  after  the  style  of  the 
country — and  a  great  house-warming  was 
held.  The  day,  thereafter,  the  horses  were 
called  once  more  from  prairie-grass  to  prairie 
travel,  and  Mr.  Merwin  and  the  three  men 
started  for  the  nearest  settlement,  a  hundred 
miles  away,  to  procure  house  stores  and  sim- 
ple furniture  for  Kansas  life,  promising  to 
return  with  some  of  the  articles  left  on  the 
way  that  once  had  done  duty  in  New  Eng- 
land. Katie  ran  after  the  party  to  see  if 
her  swing-rope  was  there  in  case  of  a  break- 
down, for  she  had  immense  faith  in  the  pre- 
servative power  of  it,  and  it  gave  her  great 
delight  when  Uncle  John  answered,  ''No; 
bring  it  by  all  means,  my  careful  little  wo- 
man," and  the  little  woman  climbed  into  the 
wagon  with  the  treasure  to  get  the/'  last  kiss" 
from  Uncle  John,  who  wouldn't  come  back, 
perhaps,  until  "snow-time,"  and  Katie  went 
to  the  highest  point  she  could  find  to  watch 
the  canvas  covers  out  of  sight,  and  whilst 
there  she  told  God  "  that  her  Uncle  John  was 
a  very  good  man,  and  she  hoped  he  would  take 
the  best  of  care  of  him  whilst  he  was  gone," 
and  then  Katie  went  to  the  baby,  who  had 


SETTLEMENT.  69 

somehow  felt  very  much  neglected  since 
everybody  had  been  so  busy  preparing  for  the 
departure,  and  was  testifying  its  neglect  by 
mournful  cries,  with  only  Trip  to  heed  it,  wl)0 
sat  beside  the  baby  in  its  cradle,  made  out  of 
a  sycamore  log,  and  gave  it  all  the  comfort 
he  could  with  soft  strokes  of  his  tongue,  that 
were  not  at  all  quieting,  as  Katie  found. 

Uncle  John  would  be  away  a  month,  and 
meanwhile  everybody  began  preparing  for  the 
long  winter  coming. 

"  Who  knows  but  there  will  be  a  city  here 
before  Mr.  Merwin  comes  ?"  said  Paul,  at  the 
conclusion  of  the  many  plans  that  were 
formed. 


CHAPTER    VIII. 

SOMEBODY    COMES. 

One  bright,  sunny  afternoon,  when  Mr. 
Merwin  had  been  gone  eight  days,  Sydney 
and  Lizzie  rushed  into  the  new  house,  and 
running  through  all  its  three-story  length, 
and  overturning  more  articles  than  I  could 
stop  to  count,  they  shouted,  "  Mother !  Mo- 
ther!" Quite  breathless,  they  at  last  found 
Mrs.  Merwin  in  Mrs.  Lines'  portion  of  the 
house,  and  they  could  only  cry  "  Come  ! 
come  !  and  see  what's  on  the  prairie  !" 

At  the  first  glance,  Mrs.  Merwin  thought 
it  was  her  returning  husband,  with  the  can- 
vas-covered wagons,  but  Sydney  proved,  by 
his  knowledge  of  numbers,  that  ten  wagons 
could  not  be  made  out  of  three,  and  every 
moment  they  came  nearer  and  nearer,  until 
horses  were  counted,  and  then  faces  grew  out 
of  the  distance.    The  canvas  covers  drew  near 


SOMEBODY   COMES.  71 

the  late  habitation  of  the  Merwins,  and  the 
children,  one  and  all,  went  to  meet  them. 

"There's  a  boy,"  cautiously  said  Sydney, 
as  he  peeped  into  one  of  the  vehicles. 

"  I  see  a  pretty  little  girl,  with  curls,  and 
blue  eyes,"  whispered  Lizzie,  as  she  put  her 
sun-bonnet  close  to  Katie  Morgan's;  '' I  do 
wonder  who  they  all  are,  and  where  they  are 
all  going." 

As  the  foremost  horses  stopped,  a  man 
jumped  to  the  ground,  and  inquired.if  he  had 
lost  his  way.  "  I'm  bound  for  the  Big  Blue," 
he  said,  ''  but  tkis  settlement  isn't  down  on 
my  map  at  all." 

'^  I  think  not,"  answered  Sydney, ''  it  wasn't 
down  on-  the  ground  even,  six  weeks  ago. 
My  lather  was  going  to  the  Big  Blue,  but 
concluded  to  stop  here.  He  likes  this 
region." 

'' '  Tis  pretty  fine,  I  declare,"  answered  the 
man.  "  I  reckon  we  will  put  up  here  till 
morning.  Suppose  you've  no  objection,  have 
you?" 

''You  can  stay  and  welcome,"  answered 
Sydney,  for  there  was  no  one  else  to  give 
permission.     A  mile  away,  on  the   prairie, 


72  LIFE    IN    KANSAS. 

Dr.  Lines,  Paul  and  the  men  remaining  with 
them,  were  industriously  at  work  ploughing 
a  forty  acre  square  for  the  spring  planting. 

The  encampment  of  the  strangers  began 
beneath  the  somewhat  faded  boughs  of  the 
sylvan  home.  One  by  one  the  wearied  occu- 
pants of  the  w^agons  were  lifted  down.  At 
last  the  little  girl  with  curls  and  blue  eyes 
was  set  free.  Althou2;h  there  were  at  least 
a  dozen  children  in  the  company,  this  child 
was  at  oT^e  selected  by  Lizzie  and  Katie  as 
the  object  of  peculiar  favours,  and  amid  the 
excitement  they  captured  her,  and  bore  her 
in  triumph  to  the  house,  to  see  Mrs.  Merwin, 
and  to  get  some  of  their  supper.  The  little 
thino^  was  fris^htened  at  first,  but  after  awhile 
she  found  courage  to  say  that  her  name  was 
Mary,  and  to  play  with  the  baby.  Queen 
Elizabeth  had  remained  all  this  time  packed 
in  cotton,  as  Lizzie  left  her  in  the  garret  of 
Sycamore  cottage.  iSTow  her  queenship  was 
brought  out  forHhe  entertainment  of  the  fair 
little  stranger. 

''I  had  such  a  doll  at  home,"  said  Mary, 
as  she  kissed  the  waxen  cheek. 

^'  Where  ?"  asked  Lizzie. 


SOMEBODY    COMES.  73 

"Oh,  at  home,  my  home,"  was  all  the  little 
one  could  tell. 

"Here  come  the  ploughmen!"  exclaimed 
Sydney,  as  he  caught  sight  of  the  party  re- 
turning, and  he  hastened  to  tell  them  the 
news,  and  then  he  carried  off  Dr.  Lines  and 
Paul  to  visit  the  neighbors. 

After  the  call  was  over,  and  all  the  hospi- 
talities of  the  settlement  had  been  offered, 
Paul  returned  alone  to  the  house,  longing  for 
some  water  from  the  Vermillion  to  cleanse  his 
hands  of  prairie  soil.  "  Please,  Katie,  give 
me  the  basin,"  he  called  from  the  entrance, 
"my  hands  are  not  fit  to  touch  it." 

Katie  ran  to  meet  his  wish,  and  little  Mary 
slipped  down  from  the  rude  chair  in  which 
she  had  been  entertaining  queen  Elizabeth, 
and  let  the  doll  fall  out  of  her  hands.  Lizzie 
caught  her  treasure  just  in  time,  and  Mary 
made  her  escape  to  the  door.  Katie  had 
given  Paul  the  basin,  and  was  standing  hold- 
ing the  towel  all  ready  for  him  when  he 
should  have  washed  his  hands,  just  outside 
of  the  entrance. 

A  little  sound  escaped  from  Mary's  lips, 
and   Katie   turned   to   see  whence  it  came. 


74  LIFE    IN    KANSAS. 

Mary's  blue  eyes  were  open  very  wide,  and 
her  curls  were  expressing  all  possible  wonder 
and  curiosity.     "  Who  is  tbat  ?"  she  asked. 

Paul  did  not  hear,  for  the  outside  noise 
prevented,  and  his  eyes  were  looking  at  the 
preparations  for  picketing  the  horses. 

''  It's  only  our  Paul,"  whispered  Katie,  as 
she  drew  Mamy  close  to  her,  and  put  one 
arm  around  her.  With  the  other  she  ex- 
tended the  towel  to  Paul,  saying,  ''  Hurry, 
Paul!" 

Paul  turned  to  take  the  towel.  Kate  felt 
the  little  figure  springing  out  of  her  arms, 
and  it  cried,  "  My  Paul!"  as  it  held  out  both 
arms  toward  Paul  Lee. 

Paul  thought  he  had  seen  a  vision,  but 
vision  or  not,  he  met  it  with,  ''0,  Mamy, 
Mamy!  I  thought  you  were  dead,"  and  he 
enfolded  Mamy  in  one  strong  caress,  and 
then  seizing  her  in  his  arms,  he  ran  past 
Katie,  who  was  dumb  with  astonishment, 
into  the  house,  and  to  Mrs.  Merwin  and 
Lizzie,  exclaiming,  "  I've  found  her  I  It's 
2Iamy !  She  isn't  under  the  Mississippi,'' 
and  then  he  darted  out  of  the  house,  and  a 
moment  later  was  in  the  midst  of  the  busy 


SOMEBODY    COMES.  75 

scene  in  the  sylvan  bower.  Sydney  was  the 
first  to  see  him  coming,  and  ran  out  with  a 
protest;  "That  isn't  fair,  Paul.  I've  the  best 
right  to  that  little  girl." 

"  No  you  haven't,  Sydney ;  its  my  own 
sister,  but  you  may  kiss  her  and  welcome, 
Syd,"  and  Paul  held  up  the  smiling  little 
face  to  Sydney,  but  Sydney  forgot  that  he 
might  kiss  her,  and  it  required  many  words 
to  make  him  understand  the  truth. 

''How  was  she  saved ?"  questioned  Syd- 
ney, when  convinced  of  her  identity. 

"  That  is  the  very  thing  I've  come  to  find 
out,"  answered  Paul.  "  Mamy,  who  did  you 
come  here  with?" 

''John,"  answered  the  child.  "If  you'll 
put  me  down,  I'll  go  and  find  him.  He's 
good,  my  Paul." 

Mamy  wound  her  way,  here  and  there, 
through  the  little  throng,  Sydney  and  Paul 
following  closely.  "There  he  is,"  shouted 
the  child,  after  seeking  John  in  vain  within 
the  enclosure,  and  away  she  ran  to  the  place- 
where  the  voune:  man  was  takinp;  care  of  the 
horses. 

"  John,  I've  found  Paul,  my  brother  !  come 


76  LIFE    IN    KANSAS. 

and  tell  him  how  good  you've  been  to  me. 
He  wants  to  know  how  you  saved  me." 

*' Indeed  I  do,"  echoed  Paul;  '' I  thought 
she  was  lost  for  ever." 

*' I  couldn't  help  it,  how  could  I,"  began 
John,  as  he  drove  the  fastening  stick  into  the 
ground,  "  the  poor  little  thing  was  standing 
just  aside  of  me  w^hen  the  blow-up  came  all 
in  a  minute,  and  the  next  thing  that  ever  I 
knew  I  was  rising  up  and  up  through  the 
water,  and  when  I  came  to  the  top,  the  first 
thing  that  I  saw  was  this  poor  little  bit  of  a 
child  fast  hold  of  one  of  them  chairs  that  floats, 
and  the  river  was  taking  her  right  away 
down  toward  another  boat  that  was  steaming 
up  as  fast  as  it  could,  and  I  swam  after  her, 
and  caught  her  just  in  time  to  save  her  from 
going  under  the  wheel,  and  the  only  thing 
she  said  when  I  made  her  let  go  of  the  chair 
and  put  her  arms  round  my  neck,  was,  "  I 
want  my  mamma;  which  way  did  she  go?" 
Well,  I  got  on  shore  with  her  at  last ;  but 
my  money  was  all  gone,  and  my  clothes  were 
in  the  trunk  that  went  down  into  the  river. 
I  don't  know  the  child's  name,  and  she  could 
only  tell  me  about  '  mother,  father  and  Paul,' 


SOMEBODY   COMES.  77 

SO  I  did  the  very  best  that  I  could ;  I  went 
all  over  the  strange  city,  but  nobody  knew 
any  thing  about  the  child  or  who  owned 
her;  so  you  see  I  couldn't  do  nothing  but 
own  her  myself,  though  you  see  I  ain't  fit  to 
do  it. 

"  'Twas  a  great  while  before  I  could  find 
out  anybody  that  'ud  have  me  and  the  child 
too ;  but  at  last  the  man  I've  come  with  said 
'  he'd  take  me,  and  the  child  could  go  along 
with  his  own  children.'  " 

''  Were  you  going  to  keep  Mamy  and  take 
care  of  her  always  ?"  asked  Paul. 

"Why  not?"  answered  the  honest  young 
man.  "  What  else  could  I  do  ?  couldn't 
leave  her  all  alone  in  the  city ;  couldn't  drop 
her  on  the  way,  and  wouldn't  leave  her  to 
die  on  the  prairie,  nohow." 

By  this  time  all  the  settlement  had  heard 
the  news  of  the  newly-found  brother  and  sis- 
ter, and  one  by  one  they  had  joined  the 
group  until,  when  the  young  man  finished 
the  story,  he  had  a  large  audience  around 
him,  of  whose  gathering  he  had  been  quite 
unconscious. 

There   was    great  joy   in   Alabama    that 


78  LIFE   I-N    KANSAS. 

night ;  the  children  sat  up  until  ten  o'clock, 
and  were  not  "  one  bit"  sleepy  then.  Mamy 
was  gathered  into  the  household  throng  and 
numbered  with  them  from  thenceforth. 

The  following  morning  a  council  was  held. 
Dr.  Lines  was  consulted  as  to  the  capacity  of 
the  country  adjacent  for  the  support  of  the 
newly-arrived  families,  in  addition  to  the 
party  already  in  possession ;  and  having  an- 
nounced it  sufficient,  proposals  were  made 
and  accepted  for  their  stay  at  Alabama. 

''Who's  afraid  of  the  Indians  now?" 
bravely  asked  Sydney,  as  he  grew  courage- 
ous in  the  presence  of  numbers. 

As  for  little  Mamy,  her  heart  was  full  of 
joy  all  the  day  long,  and  she  was  never  tired 
of  telling  how  good  John  had  been  to  her. 

Busy  with  building,  preparing  for  winter, 
ploughing  for  spring,  hoping  always,  the  days 
and  weeks  went  by.  Mr.  Merwin  returned 
safely  in  due  time,  and  was  lost  in  astonish- 
ment to  see  five  cabins  where  he  had  left 
but  one  ;  and  still  more  so  to  find  that  he 
had  another  member  in  his  family,  even  blue- 
eyed  Mamy ;  but  Mr.  Merwin  had  a  heart 
as  big  as  the  Mammoth  Cave,  in  one  respect. 


SOMEBODY   COMES.  79 

and  that  is,  that  no  one  knows  how  large  it 
is ;  and  he  took  Mamy  in,  and  she  shared 
with  the  baby  the  sweets  of  the  youngest 
child. 

One  day  Mrs.  Merwin  sat  reflecting  upon 
the  wonderful  Providences  that  had  brought 
Paul  and  Mamy  into  her  already  filled  heart 
and  home,  and  after  thinking  it  all  over  very 
carefully,  she  went  to  John  and  asked  him 
what  led  them  to  Alabama,  of  all  other  points 
in  the  vast  country. 

"  Why,  'twas  just  this  ma'am,"  said  John. 
"We  was  bound  for  the  Big  Blue  region, 
beyond  this,  you  know.  Well,  I  got  tired 
sitting  up  there  driving  all  day,  and  thought 
I'd  get  down  and  walk  out  a  bit,  and  turning 
aside  into  the  timber  near  by,  I  came  sud- 
denly upon  something  that  I  knew  the  Lord 
hadn't  made  to  grow  just  so ;  for  all  the 
grape-vines  had  been  pulled  down  from  the 
trees  and  twisted  into  a  swing.  I  shouldn't 
have  noticed  it,  may  be,  myself,  but  Mamy 
was  with  me,  and  she  said,  '  Let  me  swing  in 
here,  its  nice;'  and  then,  all  at  once,  I  saw 
Hwas  made  for  a  swing.  Going  on  a  little 
further  still,  I  found  a  small  shawl  laid  across 
7* 


80  LIFE    IN    KANSAS. 

one  of  tlie  branches  of  a  tree,  and  I  knew  it 
hadn't  rained  since  'twas  put  there,  and  I 
knew,  too,  that  children  didn't  stop  to  make 
swings  when  they  were  on  the  march ;  and  so 
I  went  back  and  told  'em  all,  that  I  knew 
there  was  a  settlement  near  by :  and  then 
they  turned  the  teams  out  of  the  timber-land 
on  to  the  prairie,  and  we  soon  found  this 
place ;  that  was  the  way,  ma'am,  it  all  came 
to  be." 

On  further  inquiry  it  was  ascertained  that 
Paul  had  made  the  swing  for  Katie  Morgan, 
and  Katie  had  forgotten  her  shawl  and  left  it 
in  the  woods.  Thus  by  the  little  events  of  a 
swing  and  a  shawl,  God  led  the  brother  and 
sister  together  and  planted  the  prairie  with 
homes ! 

There  were  now  seventeen  children  in  Ala- 
bama, and  during  the  snowy  winter  months 
they  were  gathered  into  a  school. 

Christmas  day  came  on  the  prairie,  and  the 
New  Year,  just  as  they  came  all  over  the 
rest  of  the  land,  and  at  last  the  glad  spring 
time  broke  the  thrall  of  ice  and  cold. 

The  little  grasses  came  up.  The  Vermil- 
lion no  lonsjer  held  itself  under  the  cover  of 


SOMEBODY   COMES.  81 

tlie  nortliland,  but  laughed  and  bounded  down 
to  the  Kansas,  on  to  the  Missouri,  into  the 
Mississippi,  and  sank  with  joy  into  the  warm- 
hearted Gulf  below. 

Our  seventeen  children  grew  very  glad  and 
industrious.  Acres  of  land  were  sown,  fur- 
long rows  of  corn  were  dropped  into  the  earth 
by  patient  young  hands,  and  merry  parties 
went  and  came,  full  of  hope  and  joy. 

Thus  the  days  and  months  went  on  until 
the  harvest  began,  and  barns  had  to  be  built 
to  stow  the  precious  loads  away,  that  the 
earth  had  been  made  to  bear. 

Before  the  second  autumn  came,  Mr.  Mer- 
win's  family  moved  again,  and  this  time  into 
a  house  of  stone,  against  which  prairie  storms 
would  beat  in  vain,  and  prairie  cold  could  lay 
seige  to  it  without  a  victory. 

Before  we  say  farewell  to  our  pleasant  lit- 
tle friends,  we  will  pay  them  one  visit  more. 


CHAPTER    IX. 

GLOOMY     PROSPECT. 

It  is  almost  three  years  since  ttie  Merwin 
family  moved  into  their  new  house.  The 
strong,  hot  summer  sun  is  shining  to-day 
upon  its  stone  walls,  and  making  every  parti- 
cle of  mica  shine  like  a  sand  of  gold. 

Trip,  our  little  friend,  has  grown  into  a 
large,  powerful-looking  dog,  and  is  taking  his 
mid-day  nap  beside  the  door  that  stands  open 
to  let  in  any  little  breath  of  air  that  might  by 
chance  travel  that  way. 

Outside,  the  corn  is  growing,  the  grain  is 
standing  very  still  in  the  heat,  and  you  can 
distinctly  hear  the  flow  of  the  Vermillion. 

Within  the  house,  Mr.  Merwin  has  laid 
down  to  rest,  and  the  children — how  they 
have  grown  ! — are  cautioned  to  be  very  still 
and  not  disturb  their  father. 

The  baby  walks  and  talks  now,  and  an- 
swers to  the  name  of  John  Junior ;  but  at  this 


GLOOMY  PROSPECT.  83 

hour  he  has  become  sleepy  and  silent,  and  his 
little  hands  thrown  above  his  head,  he  lies 
with  half-shut  eyes,  watching  the  lazy  whirl 
of  the  flies  in  the  air.  Lizzie,  Katie,  and 
Mamy  are  up  stairs,  having  a  good  time, — 
almost  as  good,  Lizzie  thinks,  as  she  ever  had 
in  Greendale. 

The  boys ! — but  who  ever  does  know  where 
the  boys  are  ?  So  we  will  not  look  for  them. 
Certainly  they  are  not  in  sight,  as  a  tired- 
looking  horseman  urges  on  a  more  tired  horse 
through  the  grass  to  the  door  of  Mr.  Merwin's 
house.  Trip  wakes  up  and  looks  and  ex- 
amines, but  consents,  upon  the  whole,  to  let 
the  stranger  knock  in  peace.  The  knock  is 
followed  by  an  entrance.  Mr.  Merwin  wakes 
up  to  the  consciousness  of  an  event  that  does 
not  often  occur  in  Alabama.  The  postman  is 
come.  Out  of  his  package  he  takes  precious 
letters,  and  news  from  home  comes  for  the 
first  time,  since  the  grass  came  up.  The 
postman  says  a  few  words  and  goes  away  to 
deliver  letters  elsewhere  on  his  wide,  wide 
round,  and  Mr.  Merwin  breaks  the  seal  of  the 
first  letter.  He  read  it  on  to  the  end,  and 
then  looking   up  said,  ''  Wife,  we  are  very 


84  LIFE    IN    KANSAS. 

poor !  Everything  is  gone  except  what  we 
have  here ;  everything  is  lost ;  the  very  money 
that  I  got  for  Sycamore  is  gone  with  the 
rest." 

Mrs.  Merwin  let  fall  her  shining  needle,  and 
drew  near  her  husband,  and  spoke  many  words 
of  comfort  that  were  not  meant  for  my  ear. 
Lizzie  and  Katie  felt  that  something  had  hap- 
pened, and  came  down  noiselessly  to  learn 
that  their  father  and  Uncle  John,  by  some 
mysterious  bank  failure,  had  lost  all  their 
money. 

''Why,  father,  never  mind,"  said  Lizzie. 
"We  have  enough  to  eat.  Look  outside;" 
and  she  pointed  to  the  growing  corn  and  si- 
lent grains. 

''  Won't  you  please  send  me  back  to  Aunt 
Myra,  now.  Uncle  John  ?  I  don't  w4sh  to 
trouble  you  when  you've  so  many  to  take 
care  of." 

"  Miss  Katie,  I  can't  spare  you  in  poverty 
if  I  couldn't  in  riches,"  said  Uncle  John  ;  and 
he  stroked  Katie's  beautiful  brown  hair,  and 
thought  of  the  days  when  Katie's  mother  was 
a  young  girl,  and  asked  of  Katie's  self  that 
she   would   never   say   another  word   about 


GLOOMY  PROSPECT.  85 

leaving  them.      Katie  promised  most  faith- 
fully. 

Notwithstandino;  the  rule  of  love  and  cheer- 
fulness  that  made  the  home  of  the  Merwins 
so  charming,  that  night  there  was  care  and 
anxiety  in  some  very  young  hearts. 

Paul  Lee  sat  in  silence  to  work  out  the 
problem  how  he  could  support  his  little  Mamy 
and  himself,  for  he  saw  how  necessary  it  had 
become  to  be  no  longer  an  expense  to  Mr. 
Merwin. 

Sydney  grew  restless  under  the  constraint 
of  silence,  and  w^ent  to  see  what  the  stars 
were  doing  with  themselves.  As  he  came 
back,  he  asked,  ''  Father,  isn't  it  a  'good  long 
while'  since  it  has  rained?" 

''Yes,  my  son,"  answered  Mr.  Merwin; 
"  if  the  rain  doesn't  soon  come  our  crops  will 
be  lost." 

"  All  the  corn  that  we  dropped  into  the 
earth !"  sighed  Lizzie. 

"  And  the  wheat  that  we  sowed  !"  exclaim- 
ed Paul. 

"  Will  the  grass  die.  Uncle  John,  the 
prairie  grass,  so  that  the  animals  will  starve 
to  death?"  asked  Katie. 


86  LIFE    IN    KANSAS. 

Mr.  Merwin  had  not  imagined  one-half  of 
the  picture  that  his  children  painted  so  vivid- 
ly, and  in  these  new  colors,  of  famine  and  suf- 
fering, the  loss  by  the  Greendale  bank  passed 
into  oblivion. 

The  sun  came  and  went  for  many  days,  and 
yet  no  welcome  clouds  gathered  to  pour  down 
rain  upon  the  parched  earth  in  Kansas.  Over 
miles  and  miles  of  prairie,  nothing  fell  but 
showers  of  sunbeams  by  day,  and  the  lesser 
moon-rays  by  night. 

The  children  walked  about  the  fields  of 
grain  every  morning,  with  the  most  anxious 
solicitude,  and  every  returning  day  they 
found  a  few  more  leaves  that  had  lost  their 
greenness,  a  few  more  long  blades  of  corn 
huno;  lifeless  and  withered,  and  then,  eves  of 
every  hue  searched  the  sky  for  some  tiny 
cloud  that  had  a  shower  to  spare. 

At  last,  the  grass  began  to  fade  before  its 
time,  and  the  poor  animals  looked  wistful 
and  sad,  to  Katie's  vision,  as  if  some  shadow 
of  impending  hunger  was  already  over  them. 
It  became  necessary  to  take  them  to  select 
places,  where  shade  or  lowland  gave  promise 
of  some  under-breath  of  moisture. 


GLOOMY  PROSPECT.  S? 

In  vain  many  hands  brought,  day  after  day, 
water  from  the  Vermillion,  and  poured  it  about 
some  choice  bits  of  corn  or  favorite  vegetables. 
The  drought  was  at  work,  the  famine  of  rain 
ate  up  the  greeness  from  off  of  Kansas.  The 
terrible  fact  became  a  reality ;  the  crops  would 
be — must  be — a  failure  ;  no  ''  latter  rain" 
could  revive  them. 

Happily,  for  our  '^  Alabama,"  the  grains  of 
last  year  were  not  exhausted ;  the  prairie  was 
dotted  over,  here  and  there,  with  stacks  of  the 
short  buffalo  grass,  that  last  year  grew  so 
abundantly;  and  these  became  great  light- 
houses of  hope  to  the  community ;  but  alas  ! 
before  the  autumn  was  half  ended,  down  they 
came,  one  by  one,  to  feed  the  famishing 
horses  and  cows. 

It  was  almost  November  when,  one  morn- 
ing, the  Merwins  stood  in  a  sad  looking  group 
outside  their  stone  house,  to  bid  farewell  to 
''Colie."       . 

'' Colie"  was  a  great,  glad,  strong,  good 
prairie  horse,  with  native  wildness  in  his  eyes, 
and  the  pet  and  pride  of  all  the  household, 
from  John  Junior  to  Mr.  John  Merwin  his 
master.  Now  he  was  going  away  alone  back 
8 


88  LIFE    IN    KANSAS. 

to  liis  native  prairies,  to  find  food  for  himself, 
since  his  master  had  none  to  give  for  all ;  and 
this  fine  animal  was  selected  simply  because 
he  was  best  able  of  them  all  to  provide  for  his 
own  wants. 

Johnnie  pleaded  to  be  once  more  seated  on 
his  back.  Paul  coaxed  the  noble  creature's 
proud  head  once  more  to  a  resting  place  on 
his  shoulder.  Mr.  Merwin  fondly  stroked 
him  and  bade  him  farewell.  Lizzie  and 
Mamy  cried  their  good-bye ;  and  Katie  timid- 
ly held  up  to  Uncle  John  a  pair  of  scissors, 
saying,  ''  Please  cut  for  me  that  stray  lock 
from  Colie's  mane — it  will  be  something  to 
remember  him  by." 

^^ Shall  I  untie  the  halter?"  asked  the  man 
who  all  this  time  had  been  holding  the  horse, 
^' shall  I  let  him  free  ?" 

The  fastening  was  unloosed,  and  Colie,  the 
prairie  horse,  fled  with  the  speed  of  the  wind. 

Katie  laid  away  the  lock  of  hair  and  drop- 
ped a  tear  or  two  over  it,  and  then  went  to 
gather  single  kernels  ol  corn  from  many  with- 
ered ears,  every  now  and  then  looking  off  to- 
ward the  horizon's  edge,  where  the  figure  of 
Colie  was  every  moment  getting  less  and  less, 
until  at  last  he  was  lost  to  sisrht. 


CHAPTEE    X. 

PRAYER   ANSWERED. 

Winter  snows  began  to  fall,  and  for  the 
first  time  "  sickness  unto  death"  came  into 
Alabama ;  but  it  did  not  come  nigh  the  Mer- 
wins ;  and  yet,  Christmas  had  not  arrived  in 
1860,  before,  on  the  prairie,  in  sight  of  all 
their  homes,  were  the  graves  of  a  father,  a 
mother,  and  four  little  graves  of  those  whose 
spirits  were  at  rest. 

The  graveyard  on  the  prairie,  made  'mid 
the  falling  of  many  snows,  knit  the  hearts  of 
all  in  Alabama  very  closely. 

During  the  season  many  expeditions  had 
been  made  into  the  adjacent  regions  for  food, 
and  now  the  very  last  had  been  obtained. 
There  came  rumors  of  kind  hearts  in  the  East 
who  were  bringing  food  Westward ;  but  alas  ! 
no  breath  of  steam  could  waft  it  across  the 
wilds  to  Alabama,  and  man  and  beast  were 
perishing  with  hunger  and  cold  there.     One 


90  LIFE   IN   KANSAS. 

by  one  the  inhabitants  beside  the  Vermillion 
became  exhausted  by  want  and  the  frequent 
calls  to  long  journeys  through  cold  and  snow. 

Mr.  Merwin  would  at  once  have  returned 
to  Greendale,  but  alas !  his  resources  were  gone. 
For  many  days  the  necessity  of  supplies  had 
been  pressing  heavily,  but  no  one  had  had  the 
courage  to  mention  it,  until  Paul  Lee  asked 
Mr.  Merwin's  permission  to  make  the  journey 
to  the  Missouri. 

Paul  had  now  grown  into  the  appearance 
of  a  boy  of  sixteen,  tall,  strong,  and  vigor- 
ous, and  he  was  conscious  of  his  strength  and 
carried  his  point.  John,  who  had  sav' 
Mamy  from  death,  was  selected  to  accompany 
Paul,  and  again  the  large  canvas-covered 
wagons  were  brought  out  for  use. 

It  was  a  long  journey,  more  than  a 
hundred  miles,  and  through  the  pathless 
snows,  with  continual  danger  of  going  astray. 
The  most  intense  zeal  and  care  were  put  into 
action  for  this  enterprise,  and  if  Alabama  had 
had  within  her  store  materials  for  fitting  out 
one  of  the  ''  Arctic  Expeditions,"  they  would 
all  have  been  bestowed  upon  Paul  Lee  and 
John.     As  it  was,  each  one  came  with  some 


PRAYER   ANSWERED.  91 

mite  of  protective  comfort.  When  all  was  in 
readiness,  Paul  led  the  way  and  took  up  the 
reins  to  give  the  word  of  motion,  when  Katie 
Morgan,  who  seemed  destined  by  Providence 
to  be  a  minister  of  relief  in  times  of  trial, 
produced  from  her  pocket  a  mysterious  little 
package,  and  standing  on  tiptoe,  reached  it 
up  to  Paul,  saying,  ''  If  you  get  lost  you  may 
open  this,  but  mind  not  to  open  it  unless  you 
do,  for  it  has  never  been  opened  since  Jack 

,"  and  Katie  finished  not  her  sentence. 

A  shout  of  ''  God  speed  you"  rang  from  every 
heart  and  voice.  Paul  and  John  were  on 
their  way. 

"  Uncle  John"  asked  a  private  interview 
with  Katie  Morgan  soon  after  the  departure, 
when  the  following  conversation  occurred  : 

"  Katie,  I  am  very  curious  to  know  what 
was  in  that  package  that  you  gave  to  Paul?" 

"Must  you  know,  Uncle  John?"  asked 
Katie,  and  her  head  drooped  very  low. 

''Must  I  know?"  echoed  Mr.  Merwin; 
"  not  unless  you  choose  to  tell  me." 

"  I  don't  like  to  speak  it.  Uncle  John,  but 
for  fear  you  will  think  it  something  wrong,  I 
will  tell  you.  I've  heard,  you  know,  lately, 
8» 


92  LIFE    IN    KANSAS. 

about  people  getting  lost  in  the  snows  on  the 
prairie,  and  not  knowing  which  way  they 
were  going,  and  so  I  gave  Jack's  compass  to 
Paul.  You  know  the  sailor  that  came  to  tell 
us  that  Jack  was  lost, — he  gave  it  to  me,  and 
said  it  was  tied  up  with  Jack's  own  hands, 
and  so  I  have  never  opened  it  since,  and  I 
didn't  want  Paul  to  open  it  unless  to  save 
him  from  being  lost." 

Katie  finished  her  story  and  ran  away  to 
hide  herself  a  little  while,  for  she  wanted  to 
ask  her  heavenly  Father  to  take  care  of  Paul 
and  John  and  bring  them  back  in  safety. 

Very  earnest  were  the  prayers  that  went 
up  from  Alabama  during  the  long  weeks  of 
absence.  They  prayed  as  men  pray  when 
they  know  that  nothing  but  an  answer  to 
their  prayers  can  save  them. 

Day  by  day  the  food  lessened  in  the  barrel 
and  at  the  board,  and,  if  I  might,  I  could  tell 
stories  of  heroism  in  hunger  that  would  make 
you  love  the  children  in  Alabama  almost  as 
well  as  I  do. 

For  six  days  all  eyes  had  been  turned 
toward  the  way  by  which  Paul  and  John 
would  return,  and  every  hillock  of  snow,  far 


PRAYER   ANSWERED.  93 

out  on  the  edge  of  the  sky,  had  been  counted 
to-day  only  to  deceive  to-morrow,  as  the  night 
winds  shifted  the  light  flakes. 

A  great  fear  came  over  all,  a  fear  that 
something  had  befallen  the  absent  ones.  It 
was  now  full  six  days  past  the  time  of  their 
expected  return,  and,  must  I  write  it,  the 
last  morsel  of  food  had  been  eaten !  Little 
children  were  crying  from  hunger,  older  chil- 
dren were  trying  to  look  brave,  and  declare 
that  they  were  not  hungry,  when  for  twenty- 
four  hours  they  had  been  without  food.  Mr. 
Merwin  assembled  all  the  people  in  his  house 
for  consultation. 

"  Can  we  do  anything?"  was  the  question 
that  echoed  from  bloodless  lips.  Every  pro- 
position failed  for  the  want  of  the  means  to 
carry  it  out.  Fifty  miles  away  lay  the  near- 
est settlement,  but  who  could  reach  it,  and 
who  would  be  living  at  the  return  ?  Again 
rang  the  question,  ''  What  can  we  do?" 

''We  can  pray,"  said  Mr.  Merwin,  and  in 
that  stone  house  every  knee  bowed  before  the 
Lord  of  the  whole  earth,  begging  that  He 
would  send  relief.  I  am  wrong;  there  was 
one  little  one  not  in  the  group.  It  was  Mamy 
Lee,  but  no  one  had  missed  her. 


94  LIFE    IN    KANSAS. 

They  were  around  the  family  altar,  and  the 
words  of  prayer  were  ascending  from  Mr. 
Merwin's  lips,  when  a  little  golden-head 
peeped  in  at  the  door,  and  a  soft,  silvery 
voice  mingling  itself  with  the  words  of  prayer : 
"  I  see  them ;  my  Paul  is  coming !"  said  Mamy 
Lee ;  but  not  a  stir  arose  in  that  room  until 
Mr.  Merwin  ended  with  "  Good  Lord,  we 
thank  thee!"  for  Mamy's  voice  had  seemed 
like  that  of  the  angel  bringing  down  the  an- 
swer from  Heaven. 

Then  there  were  joyous  congratulations, 
such  joy  as  only  a  few  of  all  that  live  ever 
know,  came  to  them.  Let  us  go  and  witness 
the  arrival  and  the  meeting. 

Slowly  over  the  wild  they  came — the  two 
wagons  laden  with  life.  It  was  an  hour  be- 
fore the  waiting  group  of  women  and  chil- 
dren could  distinguish  that  beside  one  of  the 
wagons  a  man  was  walking.  The  men  had 
all  gone  out  to  meet  them.  Every  step  was 
eagerly  counted  that  brought  them  nearer 
home  ;  and  when  the  first  wagon  stopped  be- 
side the  door,  and  a  glance  told  them  that 
Paul  was  alive  and  there,  Sydney  cried, 
"  Why,  there  is  Colie !  where  in  the  wojld, 
Paul  Lee,  did  you  find  Colie?" 


PRAYER   ANSWERED.  96 

Poor  Paul  could  scarcely  speak,  much  less 
tell  any,  story,  until  he  had  been  fed  and 
warmed.  And  so  John  was  obliged  to  give 
the  history.  He  told  how  they  had  been 
snowed  at  and  blowed  at  by  every  wind,  and 
at  last  had  reached  the  depot  of  provisions. 
On  the  return,  Paul  came  near  perishing — at 
one  time  so  near  it  that  John  had  to  stop  all 
night,  and  by  vigorous  measures  keep  the 
life  in  him.  In  the  morning  the  snow  fell  so 
thickly  that  every  landmark  was  lost,  and 
after  wandering  about  almost  the  entire  day, 
Paul  thought  of  Katie's  mysterious  gift.  It 
is  needless  to  say  that  by  it  he  gained  the 
direction  homeward.  For  two  days  one  of 
the  horses  had  been  failing,  and  Paul  felt  the 
greatest  anxiety  lest  it  should  fall  on  the 
prairie,  and  the  wagon  be  stayed  there.  As 
night  was  again  drawing  near,  a  dark  rush- 
ing object,  fleet  as  the  wind,  came  into  sight. 
On  and  on  it  came,  until  it  had  performed  a 
wide  circle  around  the  two  wagons.  It  was 
too  dark  to  distinguish  anything  beyond  the 
outline  of  the  animal,  and  neither  John,  who 
was  a  prairie  ranger,  nor  Paul,  could  account 
for  its  peculiar  movements.  Again  it  wheeled 


96  LIFE    IN   KAI^SAS.   ' 

about  them,  this  time  much  nearer,  until  it 
stood  still  in  their  path.  A  peculiar  sound 
came  to  Paul's  ears. 

"Hush,"  he  said,  "it  is  Colie.  Perhaps  we 
can  catch  him — if  we  only  can.'' 

Hunger  and  old  memories  brought  Colie 
back  from  his  native  state  of  freedom,  and 
with  much  training  he  once  more  bent  to  the 
burden,  and  the  worn-out  horse  was  set  free 
to  follow  the  wagons  home. 

There  was  a  thanksgiving  held  in  Alabama 
that  night,  although  a  little  out  of  season, 
and  Paul  was  promoted  to  the  place  of  honour. 

"Upon  my  word,  Mr.  Merwin,"  interrupted 
John,  entering  the  room  quite  unceremoni- 
ously, "  I  nearly  forgot  to  give  you  these  let- 
ters. We  met  the  postman  coming  this  way, 
and  offered  to  take  the  letters,  it  was  so  hard 
for  him  to  get  here,"  and  John  handed  Mr. 
Merwin  the  letters.  He  suspended  eating 
to  break  the  seals.  He  read  the  first,  and 
after  a  momentary  sadness,  he  glanced 
brightly  up  at  Katie  Morgan,  saying  that 
"  Aunt  Myra  had  departed  this  life,  leaving 
her  house  and  goods  to  her  niece,  Katie 
Morgan." 


PRAYER   ANSWERED.  97 

'*  She's  done  some  good  at  last,  anyhow," 
said  Sydney. 

''And  Fm  glad  of  it,"  said  Lizzie;  ''it's 
almost  as  pretty  a  place  as  Sycamore,  or 
would  be,  if  mother  only  lived  there." 

Mr.  Merwin  took  up  the  second  letter  say- 
ing, "  I  hope  this  letter  contains  good  news 
for  some  body."  Mr.  Merwin  read  it  through, 
and  actually  left  the  table,  asking  Mrs. 
Merwin  for  a  letter  that  he  forgot  to  open 
months  ago.  It  came  with  that  that  told 
him  of  his  loss  in  Greendale,  and  he  had 
afterwards  forgotten  all  about  it.  It  was 
found  and  read.  It  announced  that  a  cer- 
tain boy,  named  Paul  Lee,  who  was  taken 
froA  St.  Louis  nearly  four  years  ago,  by  one 
Mr.  John  Merwin,  was  heir  to 'a  large  share 
in  a  valuable  gold  mine  in  California,  owned 
by  his  father,  who  was  killed  by  a  steamboat 
explosion,  with  the  remaining  members  of  his 
family. 

Need  I  tell  you  how  glad  they  all  were ; 
how  Katie  Morgan  begged  Uncle  John  and 
Aunt  Lizzie  to  take  Aunt  Myra's  house,  and 
let  her  live  with  them ;  how  Paul  Lee  gene- 
rously offered  half  his  treasures  in  gold  ;  and 


98 


LIFE    IN    KANSAS. 


how  he  kept  a  sweet  little  joy  to  himself, 
about  a  grave  that  he  would  now  mark  with 
marble. 

Another  spring  is  coming  over  Kansas. 
We  will  hope  that  the  good  Lord  will  please 
to  send  the  early  and  the  latter  rain  to  bless 
Alabama  and  the  friends  that  we  love  there, 
even  while  we  write  our  "  Farewell." 


PART  n. 
KATE  MORGAN'S  SOLDIERS. 


CONTEXTS. 

^ 

Chapter  L— One  Little  Look  into  Greexdale,     .     101 

II.— Trust, 

107 

IIL— The  Xew  Home,     . 

112 

IV. — Stirring  News, 

117 

v.— The  War  Fever.   . 

128 

VL— A  Suspense,    . 

138 

VII.— Trial  of  Patience, 

145 

VIIL— A  Memorable  Day, 

162 

IX.— A  Xew  Phase,       . 

178 

KATE  MORGAN'S   SOLDIERS. 


CHAPTEE     I. 

ONE    LITTLE    LOOK    INTO    GREENDALE. 

"  The  old  hill  is  putting  his  great-coat  on 
in  a  hurry,  I  can  tell  you.  0,  he  flurries  so. 
Isn't  it  grand?  How  I  do  wish  Syd.  Merwin 
was  here,"  said  Sydney's  best  friend,  who 
had  treasured  sacredly  the  house  that  John 
Morgan  built. 

"  I  don't  believe  I  do,  on  the  whole,"  an- 
swered Jim,  of  Robin  Hood  memory. 

"  Shame  for  you,  then,  Jim.  Sydney  Mer- 
win isn't  the  kind  of  boy  to  suit  you,  I  know; 
but  there  isn't  his  equal  in  Greendale  for  all 
that." 

"  I  guess  as  how  I  like  Burnt  Hill  some, 
too,  and  if  Sydney  was  here,  you  see,  I 
shouldn't  have  his  sled." 


102  KATE    morgan's    SOLDIERS. 

''0,  ho !  that's  it,  is  it,  Jim?"  and  the  boy 
began  to  whistle,  but  the  driving  snow  filled 
his  mouth,  and  he  was  compelled  to  express 
his  astonishment  at  Jim's  logic  in  some  other 
way.  Meanwhile  the  two  boys  walked  on 
toward  their  homes,  for  it  was  time  for 
dinner. 

After  a  short  silence,  Sydney's  friend  said, 
''  How  long  have  you  had  Robin  Hood, 
Jim?" 

"  Let  me  see,"  answered  Jim,  and  he 
counted  out  the  winters  on  his  fingers,  each 
remarkable  for  some  event  not  strictly  histo- 
rical. "  This  is  the  fourth  winter,"  he  final- 
ly said. 

''  You've  had  a  good  time  with  it,  haven't 
yoii  ?" 

"  Never  knew  what  a  good  time  was  till  I 
got  it,  I  know." 

^'  Well,  Jim,  do  you  know  that  people  in 
Kansas,  where  Sydney  and  his  sister  and 
Katie  Morgan  are,  are  starving?" 

''Starving!"  repeated  Jim.  ''You  don't 
mean  that  they  are  hungry — have  got  nothing 
to  eat!" 

"  Indeed  I  do.     There  is  a  man  who  has 


LOOK    INTO  GREENDALE.  103 

come  from  Kansas  that  is  going  to  tell  all 
about  it,  in  the  school-house  on  the  hill,  to- 
night, and  he  is  trying  to  see  how  much  mo- 
ney he  can  get  here  to  buy  them  food  with." 

'Til  go  and  hear  what  he's  got  to  say 
about  that,  though  Burnt  Hill  is  snowed  in 
so  deep  we  can't  see  where  'tis,"  replied  Jim, 
in  great  excitement,  and  he  shook  his  head, 
and  made  fierce  plunges  into  the  snow  with 
his  feet,  throwing  it  up  at  every  step. 

True  to  his  promise,  Jim  was  at  the  school- 
house.  So  much  afraid  was  he  of  losing  one 
word  that  he  was  in  time  to  ''  build  the  fire 
and  help  light  up."  And  when,  in  behalf  of 
suffering  humanity,  words  of  truth  were 
spoken,  and  individual  cases  of  long  journeys 
taken  in  hunger,  through  cold  and  snow,  and 
sometimes  with  freezing  hands  and  feet,  were 
related,  Jim's  humanity  began  to  stir  within 
him.  It  came  up,  and  grew,  and  budded  all 
over  him,  making  the  worst  boy  in  Greendale 
seem,  for  the  while,  a  different  beinor. 

And  yet  Jim  watched  the  speaker  closely. 

He  lingered  at  the  close,  heard  the  last  words, 

saw  the  silver  counted  that  had  been  given, 

and  then  Jim's  humanity  blossomed  out  gor- 

9* 


104  KATE    MOEGAN's    SOLDIERS. 

geously.  Jim  seized  the  stranger's  coat, 
outside  the  school-house,  and  asked,  "  Is 
what  you  have  been  telling  us  there  to-night 
true,  or  is  it  all  moonshine,  like  what  folks 
call  politics  ?" 

Jim  w^as  answered  in  a  manner  that  put  all 
his  doubts  to  rest,  and  then  the  boy  ran  on 
through  the  storm  like  a  spirit  born  of  it  and 
commissioned  by  it.  The  railway  train,  that 
so  long  ago  carried  away  the  party  w^ho  are 
now  living  in  the  stone-house  in  Alabama,  was 
impeded  the  following  morning,  and  w^as  a 
half  hour  behind  time  in  reaching  Greendale. 
It  came  then,  and  the  stranger  from  Kansas 
stood  upon  the  platform  ready  to  go,  w^hen 
Jim  made  all  haste  to  reach  him.  He  was 
breathless  with  his  long  run,  and  when  at 
last  his  feet  paused,  his  words  came  out  at 
intervals,  but  with  energy.  They  were — 
'^  Look  here — you're  a  stranger — in  these 
parts — but  I  guess — you  told  the  truth — last 
night — so  I've  brought — this  dollar — for 
somebody — as  is  hungry — out  there — hope 
it'll  get — to  the  right  one — anyhow," — and 
having  executed  the  last  w^ord  with  great 
difficulty,   Jim   put  a  shining,  silver  dollar 


LOOK    INTO  GREENDALE.  105 

into  the  stranger's  hand,  and  departed  with 
the  moving  train,  but  at  a  very  different  pace. 

It  was  the  afternoon  of  the  same  day.  The 
storm  of  yesterday  was  over.  Burnt  Hill 
glistened  and  rejoiced  through  every  snow- 
pore,  as  again  Sydney's  friend  encountered 
Jim. 

''  Let  us  go  and  comb  the  old  hero's  hair 
for  him,"  said  the  friend,  looking  upon  the 
snowy  fleece  which  covered  the  hill.  ''  Get 
your  sled,  Jim,  and  I'll  meet  you  at  the 
bars." 

'.'I  guess  not,"  said  Jim.  '^  I  haven't  got 
any  sled." 

"  What  has  become  of  it,  Jim  ?" 

^'  Gone  to  Kansas." 

"Nonsense.     Where  is  it?" 

"  I  tell  you  it's  gone  to  Kansas." 

"How?" 

"  In  that  man's  pocket  that  told  about  the 
starving  people  out  there  in  Kansas.  I 
changed  it  into  as  sound  a  silver  dollar  as 
you  ever  saw.  How  do  you  think  I  could 
keep  Sydney  Merwin's  sled,  when  he  was 
starving,  maybe?  I  ha'n't  forgot  how  hungry 
I  used  to  be  after  that  very  sled,  once." 


106  KATE    morgan's   SOLDIERS. 

"  Jim  !  Jim  !  there  is  hope  of  you  yet,"  said 
Sydney's  friend,  and  we  repeat  it. 

Jim's  humanity  has  started  into  that 
growth  whose  harvests  are  stored  in  eternity, 
whose  reapers  are  angels.  Jim,  give  us  a 
smile  for  a  pleasant  good-bye.  We  will  not 
forget  you  on  the  great  prairie  where  you 
grow.  We  will  look  for  you,  on  the  great 
plain  beyond. 


CHAPTER    II. 

TRUST. 
f 

'*'  We  shall  have  breakfast  this  morning, 
Cousin  Lizzie.  How  nice  it  seems  to  lie  here 
and  imagine  how  it  will  look  upon  the  table. 
I  never  thought  meal  and  potatoes  could  look 
half  so  beautiful,"  said  Katie  Morgan,  on  first 
awaking  on  the  morning  following  Paul's  ar- 
rival with  the  loaded  wagons. 

''  Nor  I,"  answered  Lizzie.  "  The  next  time 
I  see  a  hill  of  corn,  or  a  row  of  potatoes  grow- 
ing, I  will  say  my  prettiest  pieces  of  poetry 
to  them ;  and  beside,  Katie,  I  mean  always  to 
trust  in  God,  for  he  has  been  good  to  us  so 
many  times." 

"He  is  always  good  to  me,"  simply  an- 
swered Katie ;  '^  I  can't  help  trusting  in 
Him." 

''But  suppose,  Katie,  that  Paul  had  been 
lost,  and  the  food  had  never  come,  woi^d  you 


108  KATE    morgan's    SOLDIERS. 

have  trusted  in  Him  then,  when  we  were  all 
starving?" 

'^  Yes,  Cousin  Lizzie." 

''How?" 

''That  he  would  take  us  out  of  Kansas, 
where  we  were  suffering,  into  Heaven,  and 
feed  us  there." 

"  Wouldn't  that  be  dying,  Katie  ?  I  think 
it  would  be  a  dreadful  thing  to  die." 

''  God  doesn't  do  anything  that  is  dread- 
ful. Think,  Lizzie.  God  makes  people  die. 
Man  can't  do  it.  And  somehow  I  can't  feel 
afraid  of  anything  that  God  does.  I  don't 
feel  afraid  to  lie  down  at  night  and  go  to 
sleep,  because  God  made  sleep ;  and  so  I  don't 
think  I  shall  be  afraid  when  God  makes  me 
die,  because  I  shall  feel  that  He  is  doing  it." 

''  I  am  going  to  tell  father  just  what  you 
say,  Katie,  and  ask  him  if  it  is  true." 

''Don't,  Lizzie,"  said  Katie,  with  evident 
concern ;  "  because  if  you  do,  I  can't  talk  to 
you  any  more  about  what  God  tells  me." 

"  What  God  tells  you,  Katie  !  What  do 
you  mean  ?" 

"  I  mean  that  something  comes  into  my 
heart  ^nd  talks  to  me,  and  tells  me  what  to 


TRUST.  100 

do,  and  makes  me  very  happy,  and  I  don't 
know  what  else  to  call  it,  if  it  is  not  God 
talking  to  me." 

**  What  is  it  saying  to  you  now,  Katie  ?" 

''  Telling  me  to  make  haste  and  comb  my 
hair,  so  as  to  help  Aunt  Lizzie  get  break- 
fast." 

Lizzie  looked  sadly  puzzled  at  Katie's 
words,  and  told  her  that  she  would  not  have 
to  get  breakfast  when  she  was  in  the  house 
that  Aunt  Myra  had  left  her,  because  she 
would  be  a  rich  lady. 

"  I  shall  get  breakfast,  then,  if  God  tells 
me  to,"  replied  Katie,  in  the  fullness  of  her 
confidence  and  faith. 

''  I  do  believe  you  will,  Katie,  for  you  are 
the  strangest  girl  I  know.  I  shouldn't  won- 
der if  you  should  give  your  house  away  and 
live  under  the  fence,  or  in  one  of  the  old 
trees,  as  Aunt  Myra's  chickens  used  to." 

'^  I  shall,  if  God  tells  me  to,"  answered 
Katie,  as  she  disappeared  from  the  room, 
leaving  Lizzie  Merwin  quite  bewildered  with 
this  new  form  of  faith,  as  it  seemed  to  her. 

After  breakfast,  Mr.  John  Merwin  read 
last  night's  letters  the  second  time,  and  came 


110  KATE    morgan's    SOLDIERS. 

to  the  conclusion  that  Katie's  interests  in 
New  England  required  his  personal  care. 
With  due  deliberation  the  plans  were  laid  to 
leave  the  stone-house  in  Kansas  for  one  year. 
John,  who  had  been  the  one-hundred-mile 
journey  with  Paul,  through  the  snow,  for 
food,  was  to  be  left  in  possession  of  the  pre- 
mises when  the  snows  were  melted.  Thus 
the  winter  sped  on — on  to  the  momentous 
future,  that  the  spring  of  eighteen  hundred 
and  sixty  made  to  dawn  on  these  United 
States  of  America. 

The  new  year  glided  into  Alabama,  bring- 
ing with  it  increase  of  stores  from  the  grain- 
fields  of  the  West,  and  the  great  heart-grana- 
ries of  the  East,  whose  doors  were  thrown  so 
widely  open,  that  the  hungry  might  find 
food.  After  the  new  year  came  increased 
length  of  days.  The  sun's  power  waxed 
greater  day  by  day,  and  soon  removed  the 
ice-covering  of  earth  and  water. 

Then  once  again  from  their  shelter  out 
came  the  canvas  covers,  and  the  few  strong 
horses  that  yet  lived  were  mustered  into 
service  by  the  command  of  Mr.  John  Merwin. 
On  a  lesser  scale,  the  old  moving  from  Green- 


TRUST.  Ill 

dale  was  re-enacted  in  that  from  the  stone 
house.  A  year's  absence  required  many- 
changes,  and  since  John,  without  a  wife, 
would  make  but  half  a  housekeeper,  it  was 
arranged  that  one  of  the  last  come  residents 
should  occupy  the  premises,  leaving  John 
dictator-general  over  prairie  acres  and  the 
Merwins'  home. 

Mamy  was  the  saddest  of  all  at  leaving, 
because  of  John.  Mamy  alone  knew  how 
tenderly  he  rescued  her  out  of  the  Mississippi, 
and  how  her  little  heart  clung  to  him,  as  once 
her  only  friend.  Her  fair  curls  and  blue  eyes 
were  a  strong  contrast  to  his  rough,  manly 
face,  as  he  lifted  her  up  for  a  last  good-bye, 
and  the  little  girl  held  him  so  tightly  that 
John  put  her  away  from  him  with  tears  in 
his  eyes  and  a  soft  whisper  close  to  her  ear. 
Then  the  strong  man  fondly  stroked  the  brave 
black  horse  that  had  saved  his  life  amid  the 
snows,  and  thus  parting,  Colie  and  John 
started  on  their  different  ways.  Colie  would 
come  no  more  across  the  prairie,  for  Paul  had 
begged  very  earnestly  that  he  might  go  with 
them  to  New  England.  Will  John  and  Colie 
ever  meet  again  ? 
10 


CHAPTER    III. 

THE    NEW    HOME. 

"  One  hill  more,  Lizzie,  and  we  shall  see 
the  chimneys,"  said  Katie  Morgan,  two 
weeks  after  the  Merwin  emigration  began; 
and  she  added,  ''  I  remember  the  tree  that 
hid  the  house  the  last  time  I  came  away," 
and  then  a  half  breathed  sigh  escaped  the 
serious  young  girl,  and  there  came,  borne 
upon  the  sigh,  the  words  ''poor  Aunt  Myra!" 

Aunt  Myra  had  departed  this  life ;  but  as 
her  work  lives  after  her,  I  must  tell  you  why 
her  life  was  miserable. 

She  would  not  be  happy.  She  believed 
not  only  that  man  is  a  terribly  wicked  crea- 
ture, (as  indeed  he  is) ;  but  she  also  believed 
that  he  is  bound  to  be  miserable,  as  he  cer- 
tainly need  not  be  unless  of  his  own  will. 
In  accordance  with  this  perverse  notion,  she 
pursued  her  daily  life  in  the  belief  that  she 
neither  ought  to  give  nor  take  consolation  for 


THE    NEW    HOME.  113 

any  ill.  Katie  Morgan  having  been  left 
fatherless  and  motherless,  and  Aunt  Myra 
being  the  only  relative  within  the  State, 
the  orphan  came  under  her  care. 

For  five  years,  summer  and  winter,  under 

#the  dark  repinings  of  Aunt  Myra's  home, 
lived  Katie  Morgan,  but  God  kindly  ordered 
it  so  that  there  were  left  alive  and  made  to 
throb  into  life,  Katie's  memories  of  her  mo- 
ther. And  many  times  when  Aunt  Myra 
hushed  a  merry  laugh  that  would  come 
from  the  naturally  joyous  child,  with  the 
solemn  words,  "  How  can  you  laugh,  when 
you  think  how  wicked  you  are,  and  that  you 
will  die  someday?"  Kotie  would  answer, 
"  Mother  tlsed  to  laugh,  and  she  was  happy. 
When  she  knew  she  would  die,  she  said, 
*  God  made  me  to  be  happy,'  and  I  should 
certainly  be  happy  if  I  loved  God,  and  obeyed 
his  word,  and  I  certainly  shall  obey  Him  if  I 
love  Him." 

Side  by  side,  under  one  roof,  in  the  light 
of  one  sun,  under  the  visible  manifestation 
of  one  God,  lived  these  two,  the  woman  and 
the  child.  Aunt  Myra  feared  God.  Katie 
Morgan  worshipped  him  in  the  love  of  her 


114  KATE    morgan's   SOLDIERS. 

heart.  One  was  most  unhappy,  the  other  saw 
only  sweet  content  in  loving.  But  Aunt 
Myra  has  gone,  and  we  will  hope  that  now 
she  sees  what  was  hidden  from  her  on  earth, 
that  "  God  is  love." 

Twilight,  soft  and  glowing,  spring  twilight, 
haunted  the  mountain-surrounded  village  in 
Massachusetts,  when  Katie  Morgan  spoke 
the  words  with  which  this  chapter  begins. 

They  came  slowly  winding  up  the  long  hill 
until  Katie  pointed  out  the  house  to  Lizzie 
and  Paul,  and  awakened  sleeping  Mamy  with 
the  words  :  ''  See  !  see  !  Mamy, — the  house 
we  are  to  live  in, — our  new  home." 

Just  as  Aunt  Myra  had  left  her  earthly 
home,  the  Merwins  found  it.  No  footsteps 
had  crossed  the  threshhold  after  the  hour 
Aunt  Myra  was  taken  thence,  till  Katie  Mor- 
gan's feet  touched  it.  For  so  had  she  ordered 
by  her  will.  A  neighbour  had  the  keys,  and 
Katie's  hands  alone  were  to  apply  them  to 
the  now  rusty  lock. 

The  Merwin  party  were  grouped  under 
the  wide  maple- trees,  through  whose  just 
budding  branches  the  twilight  came,  waiting 
for  the  key. 

Maria  sat  on  the  steps,  supporting  a  little 


THE    NEW    HOME.  115 

sleeping  boy,  over  whose  curling  hair  four 
years  had  left  their  time  shadows,  since  the 
morning  when  he  had  expressed  his  baby  joy 
at  Trip's  presence  on  the  railway. 

Paul  and  Sydney  had  ■  gone  to  the  neigh- 
bour for  the  keys.  Trip  stood  on  the  stone 
steps,  looking  wistfully  about  on  the  new 
scene;  but  Trip  had  grown  a  wise  dog  by 
his  travels,  and  waited  patiently.  Katie 
stooped  down,  and  fondly  stroking  his  shaggy 
head,  told  him  that  "  he  would  not  fit  into 
her  travelling-basket  now,  and  that  she  had 
not  one  cracker  left  for  him,  and  that  he 
must  wait  a  long  time  for  his  supper." 

Trip  waited,  and  Colie  waited,  till  at  length 
the  keys  were  brought.  According  to  Aunt 
Myra's  wish,  Katie  Morgan  applied  the  key, 
but  could  not  turn  it.  The  lock,  for  three 
months  unturned,  was  rusted  beyond  her 
strength,  and  Paul's  hands  were  required  to 
turn  it. 

Within  the  house  th«re  reigned  a  solemn 
order.  Katie  went  from  one  article  to  an- 
other, all  nicely  arranged,  and  gently  thought 
of  Aunt  Myra,  as  she  remembered  the  stifiP 
cap,  the  grey  hair,  and  the  large-rimmed 
10* 


116  KATE    morgan's   SOLDIERS. 

spectacles,  that  together  had  bent  to  see  if 
her  little  hands  had  wiped  away  every  par- 
ticle of  dust,  and  Katie  mentally  resolved 
that  she  would  thoroughly  dust  them  now, 
and  take  as  much  care  of  them  as  if  Aunt 
Myra's  clear  eyes  were  there  to  see. 

An  uninhabited  house  was  but  a  minor 
difficulty  to  the  Merwins,  who  had  known  in 
Kansas  a  variety  of  houses,  from  the  dear  old 
canvas  covers  to  the  stone  house  now  under 
John's  care. 

Blue  lines  of  smoke  curled  up  soon  from 
the  chimneys,  and  the  ever-welcome  sound 
of  the  tea-bell  had  been  heard ;  then  the 
moon  came  up  through  the  soft  spring  sky, 
and  a  sweet  home  gladsomeness  struck  a 
gentle  peal  in  every  heart,  when  the  village 
clock  rang  for  nine.  It  was  so  comforting  to 
be  in  New  England  once  more !  The  God 
who  protects  us  all  was  on  the  prairie,  but  it 
seemed  as  if  He  had  been  longer  in  New 
England,  and  seemed  nearer,  there. 

Mr.  Merwin  gave  voice  to  the  universal 
feeling  in  the  night  hymn,  that  was  sung 
with  touching  interest  in  Aunt  Myra's  little 
house.     It  was 

"  Nearer,  my  God,  to  thee." 


CHxiPTER    IV. 

STIRRING   NEWS. 

Two  weeks  had  passed  since  the  night  of 
the  arrival  of  the  Merwins.  They  had  been 
busy  weeks  for  all,  for  now  Aunt  Myra's  farm 
(or  Katie  Morgan's  farm,  as  Mamy  called  it) 
was  to  be  looked  after. 

It  was  Saturday  afternoon,  the  12th  of 
April,  1861,  when  pale,  tremulous,  and  flash- 
ing in  every  motion,  our  friend,  Katie  Mor- 
gan, rushed  into  the  family  room,  just  as  the 
tea-party  had  assembled. 

''Why,  Katie,  how  is  this?"  asked  Uncle 
John,  surprised  at  the  swiftness  of  her  mo- 
tion, and  the  sudden  rush  of  the  door  to  its 
place. 

"What  is  the  matter?"  asked  Aunt  Liz- 
zie, as  she  saw  the  face  so  dear  to  her  white 
with  emotion. 

''What  can  it  be?  Who  has  offended  you?" 
questioned  Paul,  and  he  strove  to  see  Katie's 


118  KATE    morgan's    SOLDIERS. 

eyes;  but  even  upon  the  table-cloth  before 
her,  Katie's  head  had  gone  down,  and  she  had 
seized  her  napkin,  and  covered  her  face  with 
it. 

''Mother  wouldn't  let  me  do  that,"  said 
Sydney. 

''  What  is  the  matter  with  you  ?  Don't 
cry,"  said  Mamy,  and  she  embraced  Katie's 
bent  head  with  two  little  arms  that  tried  in 
vain  to  raise  it. 

For  a  few  seconds  all  looked  upon  Katie 
Morgan  in  profound  astonishment. .  The  quiet 
young  girl,  who  had  heretofore  been  equal  to 
any  emergency,  surprised  them  by  this  un- 
accountable display,  and  it  was  not  until  Mr. 
Merwin  spoke  the  one  word  ''Katie!"  with 
reproof  m  his  tone,  that  Katie  looked  up. 

There  were  tears  in  her  eyes  as  she  said, 
hastily,  "  I  couldn't  help  it,  indeed.  Uncle 
John." 

"  Couldn't  help  what,  Katie?" 

"  Haven't  you  heard  the  news,  uncle  ?" 

"No.     What  news?" 

"  They  have  fired  upon  Fort  Sumter  and 
are  tearing  it  in  pieces  with  cannon  and 
sheU." 


STIRRING    NEWS.  119 

"Fired  upon  Fort  Sumter!"  There  was 
not  one  voice  silent  in  tlie  general  exclama- 
tion. 

Mr,  John  Mer win's  face  slowly  filled  with 
the  whiteness  of  deep  feeling,  until  he  seemed 
another  man,  as  he  arose  and  said,  ''  I  will 
go  and  find  out  if  this  rumour  is  confirmed," 
and  with  as  much  solemnity  as  if  going  to  the 
funeral  of  his  country,  Mr.  Merwin  went 
forth. 

''  Better  take  care  how  they  pull  Uncle 
Sam's  hair,  down  there,  for  he  doesn't  wear 
a  wig,  I  can  tell  them,  and  his.  hair  is  grown 
iron-grey,  too,"  said  Sydney,  hastily  eating, 
that  he  might  follow  his  father. 

''  Kow  we  shall  have  a  war,  I  suppose," 
said  Katie,  "  and  may  be  you  will  have  to 
defend  Uncle  Sam's  grey  hairs.  Say,  Syd- 
ney, are  you  ready." 

"  Yes,  Katie '  Morgan,  if  you  will  go  with 
me,  and  be  certain  to  take  your  famous 
swing-rope.  Confess,  now,  Katie,  did  you 
bring  it  with  you  from  Kansas  ?  For  if  you 
did,  I'll  warrant  that  you  can  tie  the  Union 
together  with  it." 

"  There  it  is, — as  strong  as  ever, — hanging 


120  KATE    morgan's   SOLDIERS. 

from  the  great  bell  pear-tree,  where  I  used 
to  swing  when  I  was  of  Mamy's  size ;  but  I 
devote  it  respectfully  to  Uncle  Sam's  service." 

''  Your  name  shall  head  the  list  of  contri- 
butions to  the  United  States  government, 
'  Miss  Katie  Morgan,  aged  fifteen,  one  sled- 
rope.'     Won't  it  sound  grand?" 

''  Where  are  you  going,  Paul  ?"  Sydney 
asked,  as  Paul  appeared  in  the  door  with 
his  cap  in  his  hand. 

''I  think  it  is  high  time  to  help  Major 
Anderson,  if  the  head  of  affairs  at  Washing- 
ton don't  send  down  a  few  iron  hands  to  the 
rescue,"  said  Paul,  and  he  straightway  dis- 
appeared. The  house  grew  very  still,  for 
Sydney  followed  Paul,  and  a  deep  sense  of 
living  in  war-time  came  suddenly  into  Aunt 
Myra's  house. 

Katie  and  Lizzie  moved  about  their  simple 
round  of  domestic  duties  with  an  added  sense 
of  dignity  that  caused  Mrs.  Merwin's  eyes  to 
follow  them  with  new  interest.  Meanwhile, 
if  I  can  put  the  throbbing  thoughts  into 
words  that  beat  through  their  young  heads, 
I  shall  find  them  representing  -these  words  : 

''Port  Sumter  fired  upon  !   Our  fort !   The 


STIRRING   NEWS.  121 

fort  of  the  United  States  !  Uncle  Sam's  own 
property!"  and  Katie  Morgan,  the  young 
prairie  girl,  steadfastly  studied,  by  the  aid  of 
a  somewhat  able  head,  although  it  was  so 
young,  how  she  might  help  to  bear  the  bur- 
den of  the  coming  conflict. 

It  proved  too  true.  That  Fort  Sumter  had 
been  attacked,  and  its  little  brave  garrison 
overpowered,  and  our  national  flag  humbled, 
moved  every  true  man's  heart,  and  set  aflow 
a  tide  of  patriotic  blood  nothing  could  arrest 
till  the  old  flag  waved  over  every  fort  of 
United  States  territory. 

The  national  flag!  What  wonder  that 
ten  thousand  swords  should  "  leap  from  their 
scabbards,"  and  that  hosts  of  armed  men 
should  hasten  to  endure,  and,  if  need  be,  die 
to  avenge  its  insults  !  It  represents  the  hon- 
our, the  power  and  the  dignity  of  the  nation. 
It  embosoms  in  its  ample  folds  a  declaration 
of  our  national  independence.  And  under 
it,  we  have  attained  to  a  measure  of  power 
and  prosperity  rare  in  the  history  of 
nations.  It  is  a  significant  flag.  Each 
added  State  brings  a  new  star  into  our  politi- 
cal hemisphere.     To  rally  for  its  defence  is 


122  KATE    morgan's    SOLDIERS. 

not  less  a  duty  of  religion  than  of  patriotism. 
Loyalty  to  a  good  government  is  loyalty  to 
the  King  of  heaven.  The  powers  that  be  are 
ordained  of  God,  and  to  resist  them  is  to  re- 
sist the  ordinance  of  God.  It  was  no  malig- 
nant or  revengeful  feeling  that  prompted  the 
uprising  of  the  great  people  of  our  land  when 
a  parricidal  assault  was  made  upon  our  na- 
tional life  and  liberty.  It  was  an  emotion 
near  akin  to  that  of  which  a  dutiful  child  is 
conscious  when  a  parent's  good  name  is  tra- 
duced in  his  presence,  or  a  Christian  when 
his  divine  Master  is  treated  with  contempt. 
There  is  something  beautiful  and  grand  in 
loyalty  to  a  legitimate  and  benign  govern- 
ment. It  partakes  of  the  deepest  religious 
sentiment.  Not  to  be  loyal  is  to  be  a  traitor, 
and  to  be  a  traitor  is  the  meanest  and  sorriest 
and  most  accursed  of  crimes.  Men  may  be 
deceived  and  misled,  and  repentance  and  a 
return  to  duty  may  make  us  lenient  towards 
their  offences,  but  deliberate  and  persistent 
resistance  to  lawful  authority  is  a  fearful 
''  iniquity  to  be  punished  by  the  judges." 

Soon  came  a  call  for  seventy-five  thousand 
men  !     The  Merwins  heard  it,  and  Paul  Lee, 


STIREING   NEWS.  123 

aud  Katie  Morgan,  and  John,  in  the  stone- 
house  in  Kansas,  heard  it  in  due  time, — and 
He,  highest  of  all,  even  God  heard  it,  and 
gave  the  answer,  sending  it  through  the 
grand  old  commonwealth  of  Massachusetts, 
and  lo !  the  Sixth  Regiment  is  the  first  note 
of  reply,  as  with  hurried  feet  they  gather  for 
the  nation's  defence. 

Hear  the  sound  of  freedom  from  the  sons 
of  Plymouth-rock  men.  Do  you  think  they 
can  be  silent  ? 

But  I  have  forgotten  my  story. 

The  following  conversation  occurred  in  the 
waning  light  of  the  young  moon,  under  the 
bell  pear-tree  on  the  Saturday  night  that  We 
all  remember. 

Mamy  was  asleep,  and  Lizzie  and  Katie 
weot  out  to  watch  for  the  return  of  those  who 
had  gone  to  the  village.  They  walked  down 
to  meet  them,  and  walked  back  again,  not 
havins^  met  them. 

'^  Shall  we  go  in,  Katie?"  asked   Lizzie. 
I  am  sleepy." 

''  In  one  minute,  if  they  do  not  come,"  and 
Katie  listened,  for  her  ears  were  educated  to 
discern  sounds. 
11 


124  KATE    morgan's    SOLDIERS. 

"  I  hear  Paul's  step  at  the  foot  of  the  hill. 
I  heard  him  cross  the  bridge." 

Katie's  hearing  did  not  deceive  her,  and 
Paul  appeared,  swinging  his  cap,  and  tossing 
back  his  curling  hair,  as  his  figure  was  seen 
against  the  sky  of  the  clear  April  night. 

''What  news,  Paul?"  asked  Katie,  as  he 
drew  near. 

"  You   two   up,  waiting   to  hear — out   of 
doors  too.     I  am  sorry  that  I  haven't  better 
news  to  tell,  but  !Major  Anderson  was  obliged 
to  give  up  the  fort,"  and  Paul  breathed  heav- " 
ily,  as  if  he  would  not  have  done  it. 

"^''Well,"  said  Katie,  ''what  then,  Paul? 
We  are  going  to  take  our  own  again,  aren't 
we?" 

"  We  will  try — particularly  3^ou,  Katie" — 

"Wait  until  you  give  me  a  chance  to  make 
your  new  uniform,  Paul." 

"Is  Paul  going  to  fight?"  questioned 
Lizzie,  with  dismay  in  her  voice.  "  Paul ! 
We  can't  spare  him." 

"  Indeed  we  can,"  said  Katie ;  "we  will  send 
him,  and  then  he  will  be  ashamed  not  to  go." 

"  I  don't  believe  you  care  for  Paul,  at  all, 
Katie  Morgan,  if  you  w^ish  him  to  go." 


STIRRING   NEWS.  126 

''Perhaps  I  don't,"  said  Katie,  with  doubt 
evident  in  her  voice,  "  but  I  wish  liim  to  go 
just  in  the  same  way  that  I  would  go,  if  I 

Liz!ie?""^   ''""''   ^°"  *^'"''  ^  '°^'   '"y^^'^' 

"No    you'd   have   starved   in   Kansas,  if 
father  hadn't  made  you  sit  down  before  him 
and  eat  your  share  of  what  we  had,  in  those 
awful  days.     You  know  I  caught  you  giving 
It  to  Trip  and  Mamy  more  than  once.  " 

It  was  well  that  only  the  moon  gave  its 
"gut  to  Katie's  face  as  she  replied,  "  Lizzie 
you  do  believe  that  I  love  Trip,  don't  you?"' 

"I  know  it."  ^      ' 

hencl"''^  '^«"'  ^'^^ie,  remember  that  a  week 

^^  "To-morrow  is  Sunday,"  added  Katie- 
come  away. "  And  she  put  her  arm  around 
Lizzie  who  was  blinded  by  her  tears,  and 
guided  her  into  the  house;  then  she  ran  back 
for  an  instant  to  the  bell  pear  tree,  against 
which  Paul  leaned,  and  offered  him  her  hand 
ior  good-night,  saying  hastily,  "  Paul,  I  hope 
you  are  not  hurt  at  my  wishing  you  to  go 
are  you?"  and  Katie's  voice  was  so  sweet  and 
soft  that  the  young  buds  just  swelling  on  the 


126  KATE    morgan's    SOLDIERS. 

tree  above  her  must  have  been  stirred  by  it, 
or  else  Paul  must  have  shook  them,  for  a 
feathery  thing  floated  down  and  fell  at  Katie's 
feet  in  the  moonlight,  and  she  picked  it  up, 
exclaiming,  'See,  Paul  Lee,  here  is  your  mis- 
sion,' and  she  handed  to  him  a  feather  from 
an  American  eagle  that  perhaps  may  have 
been  lodged  there,  and  falling  at  this  instant, 
Katie  believed  it  to  be  associated  with  the 
event  they  had  talked  of. 

Paul  took  the  feather  and  fastening  it  in 
his  cap,  promised  to  wear  it  there,  and  Katie 
bade  him  good-night. 

Tuesday  night  came.  In  Katie  Morgan's 
house  not  one  word  of  Mr.  John  Merwin's 
intention  had  been  made  known,  except  to 
his  wife,  and  yet  in  the  Sixth  Regiment  he 
was  to  go ! 

Wednesday  morning  the  announcement 
came,  and  with  it  a  few  difficulties  were  sug- 
gested. 

'^  You  can't  go,  father,"  said  Sydney. 
"  There  is  Hop-lot  yet  to  be  ploughed,  and 
Feather-meadow^,  and  all  the  planting  is 
coming  on.     We  can't  do  without  you." 

*'  You  must  be  farmer,  Sydney.     I  did  not 


Uansas  .Storn. 


See,  Paul  Lee,  here  is  yoar  mission,"  auJ  sslie  banded  him 
feather  from  an  American  eagle.  p.  I.''! 


STIRRING   NEWS. 


127 


know  of  what  use  your  Kansas  education 
could  be,  but  I  see  it  all  now." 

"  Paul  is  older  than  I  am.  He  had  best 
take  the  care  of  it." 

"  Paul  is  going  to  Washington." 

Sydney  grew  very  impatient  at  this  an- 
nouncement, declaring  that  he  could  not  take 
care  of  anybody's  farm. 

Katie  stole  around  to  Sydney  and  promised 
him  half  of  her  farm  as  soon  as  she  should  be 
old  enough  to  deed  it  to  him,  if  he  would  be 
good,  this  once,  and  not  keep  Uncle  John  at 
home. 


11* 


CHAPTER    V. 

THE  WAR  FEVER. 

Aunt  Myra's  house  was  in  the  town  of 
Cedarville,  and  the  afternoon  sun  of  April 
enveloped  it  in  a  pleasant  warmth,  and  drew 
out  the  winter-hid  flies,  who  certainly  seemed 
curious  to  know  if  this  really  could  be  the 
world  they  went  to  sleep  in,  during  the  pre- 
vious November.  The  flies  had  chosen  a 
window  high  up  in  the  angle  of  the  roof  in 
which  to  sun  their  wings,  and  as  I  watched 
them  circling  there  I  caught  the  sight  of 
something  that  surely  could  not  be  a  fly.  It 
was  too  large,  and  flies  are  not  dressed  in 
crimson. 

I  looked  curiously  the  second  time,  and 
saw  a  very  pretty  young  girl  seated  high  up 
in  the  window,  close  to  where  the  light  came 
in.  Her  head  was  bent  so  that  I  could  not 
find  her  eyes,  but  why  should  she  be  so  far 
away  from  the  cheerful  room  of  the  family, 


THE   WAR   FEVER.  129 

hidden  in  the  garret,  in  Aunt  Myra's  house? 
But  look,  there  is  another  face  beside  hers 
now,  and  a  pair  of  earnest,  great  black  eyes 
are  following  the  march  of  the  flies  around 
the  window.  The  young  girl  stops  in  her 
employment,  bends  towards  the  face  beside 
her,  and  says: 

"  Quiet  now,  dear  Trip,  one  moment,  and 
then  we  will  go;  ten  stitches  more!  Hear  me 
count  them  Trip,  and  then  you  shall  be  free." 
One,  two,  three,  up  to  ten,  and  then  breaking 
the  brightly  flashing  web  of  silk  from  her 
work,  the  young  girl  clasped  a  necklace 
around  Trip's  neck.  It  is  curious,  isn't  it, 
that  collar,  woven  for  Trip  to  wear,  woven  in 
soft  embroidery  in  red,  white,  and  blue,  and 
glistening  with  silver  frosty  stars,  and  then, 
finding  the  fit  perfection,  the  young  girl  turns 
the  necklace  around  and  reads  the  inscription 
on  it.  But  it  is  too  far  away  for  us  to  see ; 
beside  I  don't  think  the  fair  artist  wishes  it 
to  be  admired  just  yet. 

While  we  wait  the  picture  vanishes ;  the 
window  is  vacant,  left  to  the  flies,  and  pres- 
ently below,  quite  near  to  us,  a  door  opens 
and  the  same  young  girl,  with  a  warm  crim- 


130  KATE   morgan's  SOLDIERS. 

son  shawl  pinned  tightly  about  her,  appears 
with  Trip  behind  her.  She  stoops  to  caress 
him,  and  I  am  almost  certain  that  a  tear 
glistened  in  the  sun  on  Trip's  neck,  that  late- 
ly gleamed  with  a  national  necklace  as  she 
bade  him  "  G-o  now  and  have  a  good  time 
once  more,"  and  then  when  Trip  was  off,  the 
young  girl  rubbed  her  cold  fingers  hastily 
for  one  minute  and  disappeared.  Curious  to 
know  what  next  she  might  do,  I  ventured  in, 
knowing  my  welcome,  and  found  a  busy  group 
stitching,  stitching,  as  if  the  world  were  wait- 
ing at  the  door  to  be  clothed.  ''  Soldiers' 
uniforms  !"  I  exclaimed.     ''  Whose  ?" 

^'  Father's  and  Paul  Lee's  ;  they're  grand, 
I  tell  you;  going  to  the  war;  going  to  teach 
rebels  that  we've  got  a  country.  I'd  like  to 
be  school  teacher  to  those  boys  one  term  of 
free  school  teaching;"  and  Sydney  Merwin 
stopped  to  breathe  in  his  speech,  and  I 
looked  about  me  at  the  earnest  faces  at  work. 
There  were  drops  of  bloodl'-'^rfrom  needle 
wounds,  hastily  concealed, — ^young,  fresh, 
glowing  blood,  shed  truly  for  their  country, 
whose  country  should  never  know  the  sacri- 
fice. 


THE   WAR   FEVER.  131 

Mrs.  Merwin's  face  reminds  us  this  April 
afternoon  of  the  night  in  Greendale,  when  we 
saw  her  sitting  by  the  little  round  stand,  it 
is  so  full  of  feeling,  so  wrought  into  the  lines 
of  some  great  endeavour.  While  we  wait,  in 
comes  Mr.  John  Merwin  with  the  fire  of  a 
great  purpose  in  his  figure,  enveloping  it  with 
martial  dignity. 

Then  Paul  Lee  enters  hastily  and  surveys 
the  premises  to  see  if  his  uniform  makes  pro- 
gress as  fast  as  the  enemy,  for  somehow  Paul 
feels  the  great  importance  of  hastening  on, 
before  the  tide  rises  too  high  around  the  seat 
of  government. 

In  the  clear  April  sunshine,  Mr.  Merwin 
and  Paul  walked  out  with  Katie  and  Lizzie. 
The  same  four  who  gathered  long  dry  moss  in 
Kansas  wherewith  to  thatch  their  prairie 
house,  start  now  for  a  walk  in  Cedarville,  and 
with  them  are  two  lesser  ones,  Mamy,  who 
clings  tightly  to  "my  Paul,"  with  a  vague 
idea  that  he  is  going  to  be  in  some  danger 
from  the  Mississippi,  and  "the  baby,"  who 
walks  his  five  years  of  life  like  a  little  hero, 
wondering  in  his  little  soul  what  all  these 
things  mean. 


132  KATE    morgan's   SOLDIERS. 

Tall !  Awkward  !  Rough !  Great  brawny 
hands  !  Feet  that  look  as  if  they  could  get 
over  the  country  very  fast !  Face  that  seems 
meant  for  something  wrong,  but  with  an  add- 
ed sense  of  the  possibility  of  better  things, 
and  the  owner  of  figure,  feet,  and  face,  is 
marching,  with  meaning  tread,  down  the 
Sycamore  walk  in  Greendale.  Do  you  recog- 
nize the  figure  ?  Perhaps  not ;  boys  will  grow 
so  rapidly,  and  nature  will  change  us  all  so 
constantly,  that  I  will  forgive  you  if  you  do 
not  recognize  '^  Jim." 

Jim  has  the  war-fever ;  but  he  has  recently 
learned  the  happiness  of  hearing  his  mother's 
*'  God  bless  you,  my  boy !"  and  he  is  trying 
to  render  her  life  comfortable.  There  is 
vaguely  growing  into  Jim's  soul  the  conscious- 
ness, (what  God  tries  to  teach  us  from  the 
first  hour  of  life,)  that  we  have  a  portion  in 
the  future,  and  that  that  portion  is  in  the 
love  of  God. 

Since  the  news  from  Sumter,  Jim  has  had 
a  perpetual  revolution  of  ideas  in  his  head, 
and  they  have  all  revolved  around  his  mother. 
He  w^ants  to  go  to  the  war,  and  he  can't 
make  her  comfortable  if  he  does.     As  a  last 


THE    WAR    FEVER.  1^ 

resort  Sycamore  cottage  was  tried,  and  the 
owner  has  promised  Jim  to  take  care  of 
his  mother,  and  now  Jim  is  looking  forward 
to  a  time  of  peace  in  his  war  of  ideas.  And 
he  hastens  to  tell  his  mother  that  there  is  no 
more  sorrow,  for  she  will  be  well  taken 
care  of. 

No  more  sorrow  ?  Jim  mistakes  the  mean- 
ing of  the  word,  and  fancies  his  mother  has 
suddenly  "gone  crazy,"  as  he  listens  in  wild 
amazement  to  the  outburst  of  grief  that  will 
know  no  restraint.  She  showers  pet  names 
upon  him,  calls  him  the  ''  light  of  her  home," 
the  "  son  of  her  heart,"  and  entreats  him  not 
to  leave  her  alone  in  the  world,  and  con- 
cludes with  making  a  deep  impression  on  Jim's 
heart ;  convinces  him  that  he  is  a  cruel,  cruel 
boy  to  thiiR:  of  going  away  to  the  war ;  and 
finally,  in  the  depth  of  her  misery,  forgets 
that  Jim  can  be  hungry  if  he  stays  in  Green- 
dale,  and  accordingly  takes  her  grief  to  her 
pillow,  leaving  Jim  supperless.  Soon  he  sees 
a  bill-poster  go  by  and  joins  him,  and  finds 
him  in  the  possession  of  placards,  calling,  in 
great  black  letters,  for  volunteers. 

Directly  the  figure,  face  and  hands  are  in 


134  KATE    morgan's    SOLDIERS. 

the  thick  of  the  town,  and  amid  the  stirring 
enthusiasm  of  the  patriotic  crowd  of  villagers, 
Jim  gets  afloat  on  the  sea ;  and  ere  he  knows 
it,  he  has  enlisted,  forgetting  everything  else 
but  his  country.  It  is  late  that  night  when 
Jim  steals  home,  supperless,  to  bed;  but  he 
pauses,  listening,  at  his  mother's  door,  and 
tears  the  low,  regular  breathing  of  deep 
sleep  ;  and  then  Jim  goes  to  his  dreams,  and 
stands  in  Fort  Sumter  during  the  bombard- 
ment, aiding  the  men  firing  the  guns,  helping 
extinguish  the  fires  until  he  is  sufibcated  by 
the  smoke ;  then  he  lies  down  close  to  the 
earth  to  escape  it,  and  awakens  with  a  start 
— a  heavier  gun  he  thought — but  no,  it  was 
his  mother's  voice.  She  had  awakened,  and 
thought  of  Jim's  supper,  and  now,  in  the  dead 
of  the  night,  not  knowing  whether  he  is  asleep 
or  awake,  she  has  come  up  to  bring  him 
something  to  eat.  In  vain  conscience-stricken 
Jim  declares  that  he  is  not  hungry;  his  mo- 
ther insists  upon  his  eating,  and  Jun  takes  a 
midnight  supper  unwillingly. 

This  kindness  touches  Jim  in  a  very  tender 
place,  when  he  remembers  how  he  has  re- 
warded it ;  but  Jim's  mother,  after  duly  sup- 


THE    WAR    FEVER.  135 

plying  the  food  for  her  darling  boy,  goes 
quietly  to  sleep  again,  believing  her  grief  all 
past. 

Meanwhile  time  steals  on,  and  hearts  are 
in  agony  all  over  the  land.  The  President's 
call  for  seventy-five  thousand  men  touches 
twenty  millions  of  hearts,  and  all  answer, 
"Is  it  I  that  thou  callest  ?"  And  a  ray  of 
truth  answered,  ''it  is  something  of  mine 
that  is  called." 

Beat !  beat !  beat !  Drum-beat  and  heart- 
beat keep  time.  How  they  march !  The 
company  from  Greendale  !  How  finely  they 
look  in  their  hastily-made  uniforms !  Do 
you  see  the  stalwart  Capt.  John  Merwin, 
walking  at  the  head  of  his  company?  Do 
you  see  Paul  Lee,  with  a  rosier,  fresher  face 
than  ever,  as  they  draw  near  Aunt  Myra's 
house,  by  which  they  must  pass?  How 
proud  he  is  to  show  them,  at  home,  how  sol- 
dierly he  can  look. 

A  little  group  waits  at  the  gate  for  the  last 
farewell,  and  at  the  captain's  command  the 
company  halts. 

Captain  John  Merwin  and  Paul  Lee  ad- 
vance to  the  farewell.  Mrs.  Merwin  extends 
12 


136  KATE    morgan's    SOLDIERS. 

her  hand  for  the ,  womanly  parting  with  a 
brave,  true  heart,  for  she  has  smoothed  her 
husband's  path  to  duty,  and  then,  surely  she 
did  not  mean  it,  but  she  falls  in  her  husband's 
arms,  and  he  sees  a  death  cold  face  resting 
against  his  shoulder.  In  alarm  he  carries 
her  in,  but  for  the  present  there  is  no  sign  of 
life.  Here  is  a  dilemma,  but  it  is  quickly 
over.  In  five  minutes  Mr.  Merwin  stands  at 
the  gate  in  plain  citizen's  dress,  and  his  uni- 
form, though  somewhat  large  for  the  new 
officer,  adorns  the  person  of  his  successor,  and 
the  company  are  detained  but  one  moment  on 
their  way. 

Paul  catches  this  minute  for  personal  good- 
bye. Mamy  clings  to  him  with  a  little  bit  of 
desperation;  but  at  a  whisper  from  Katie  re- 
leases her  clasp,  and  Katie  is  saying  her  own 
good-bye.  We  can  hear  it :  "  Paul,  please 
take  Trip  ;  see  !  he  wears  the  true  colors.  I 
made  them  for  him,"  and  Katie  put  the  tiny 
cord  by  which  she  held  Trip  into  Paul's  hand. 
''  Your  name,  regiment,  and  company  are  on 
his  national  collar.  Good-bye,  Paul."  And 
Paul  was  gone.  Beat !  Beat  the  drums  on 
their  onward  march,  and  every  echo  grows 


THE    WAR    FEVER.  137 

less  and  less,  until  a  faint,  jveary  stillness  set- 
tles down  in  the  Merwin  home.  Hours  pass 
before  Mrs.  Merwin  speaks  again,  and  then 
she  says,  '^  She  did  not  intend  to  show  her 
feelings,  but  that  she  has  often  felt  very  sud- 
denly faint  and  weary,  since  the  long  hunger 
and  anxiety  in  Kansas — that  it  is  a  mere  no- 
thing," and  begs  Mr.  Merwin  to  go  now;  but 
it  is  too  late  !  The  regiment  is  fairly  on  its 
way  to  Washington,  and  Mr.  Merwin  is  to  go 
with  the  Massachusetts  Eighth. 

We  all  know  how  grandly  they  went  forth ; 
we  all  know  who  served  and  saved  our  coun- 
try in  that  hour  of  its  peril ;  and  we  know 
how^  every  loyal  heart  went  throbbing  with 
them,  for  our  own  hearts  were  there. 


CHAPTER    VI. 

A   SUSPENSE. 


It  was  but  a  little  interval  of  time — a  mere 
day  or  two  after  the  Massachusetts  Sixth  left 
home — before 'the  Eighth  were  on  their  way. 

It  seemed  harder  to  make  the  second  uni- 
form for  Capt.  Merwin  than  the  first,  for  now 
Paul  was  gone,  and  a  great  gloom  came  to  fill 
his  place — a  seeming  shadow  was  it,  could  it 
be,  of  his  final  departure?  And  Trip,  the 
pet  of  the  household,  was  away  from  them, 
for  the  first  time  in  five  years,  and  when  that 
night  in  April  came — the  first  of  their  ab- 
sence, must  I  write  it — even  Katie  Morgan 
hid  away  under  the  bell  pear-tree,  that  no  one 
might  see  her  cry. 

Out  of  the  shadow  came  light.  Mrs.  Mer- 
win recovered  quickly,  and  again  all  went 
brightly  in  their  home.  Capt.  Merwin  went 
to  join  his  regiment  with  the  Massachusetts 
Eighth. 


A   SJSPENSE.  139 

Meanwhile  Sydney  turned  his  energies  to 
farming,  and  for  three  days  he  worked  va- 
liantly; after  that  came  the  long  pause  of 
waiting — waiting  to  hear  where  were  the 
New  York  Seventh  and  the  Massachusetts 
Eighth,  lost  somewhere  between  Philadelphia 
and  Washington.  We  all  know  how  we 
waited  to  hear,  and  how  the  telegraph  and 
newspapers  told  the  same  story  every  day  for 
a  week,  with  no  addition  to  the  news. 

Cedarville  was  a  few  miles  away  from  any 
railroad,  it  being  so  high  up  that  a  railroad 
could  not  climb  to  it,  and  I  am  quite  certain 
that  Cedarville  had  no  intention  of  going  down 
to  the  railroad,  and  so  they  were  content  to 
live  apart. 

''  The  stage  is  coming,  coming,  up  the  big 
hill !"  cried  Mamy,  when  Paul  had  bean  gone 
five  days.  Mamy's  announcement  was  the 
signal  for  a  walk  to  the  post-office,  and  there 
was  found  a  letter  from  Paul  Lee.  It  was 
addressed  to  Katie  Morgan. 

Look  at  her  now,  as  she  hastily  seats  her- 
self in  the  family-room  to  read  it.     She  is 
warm  and  rosy  from  her  hasty  walk  home, 
for  in  this  house,  where  all  interests  are  con- 
12* 


140  KATE    morgan's    SOLDIERS. 

solidated,  Katie  was  too  unselfish  to  think  of 
reading  her  letter  before  reaching  home. 
Mamy  is  close  to  her,  looking  with  her  azure 
eyes  at  the  mysterions  letter  that  is  come 
from  ''  my  Paul ;"  and  Sydney  and  Lizzie  are 
too  impatient  to  wait  for  the  breaking  of  the 
seal ;  but  Katie  insists,  and  it  is  done.  On 
the  plains  of  Kansas  we  used  to  read  the  let- 
ters of  our  friends — why  not  now  ? 

'^  What  a  looking  envelope  !  I  wonder  if 
they  have  none  better  than  this  down  there  !" 
exclaimed  Sydney,  as  he  picked  up  the  dis- 
carded letter-covering. 

*^  I  shouldn't  care  if  it  came  tied  with  buf- 
falo-grass, if  we  only  got  it,"  said  Lizzie  ;  "  do 
hurry,  Katie,  and  read  it  aloud;"  and  Katie 
read  it  aloud. 

"  On  the  National  March, 
April  20,  1861. 

"  Bear  Kate  and  everybody :  Do  you  be- 
lieve that  I  am  really  alive  and  able  to  write 
to  you  ?  It  is  true,  and  you  must  believe 
my  statement,  but  I  will  tell  you  how  it  came 
to  be. 

''We  were   peacefully  marching  through 


A   SUSPENSE.  141 

Baltimore,  from  one  railway  station  to  another, 
on  our  way  to  Washington,  when  Trip  (your 
precious  gift  to  me)  gave  a  low^  quick  bark. 
I  knew  the  poor  fellow  was  hungry,  for  it 
was  a  long  time  since  I  had  given  him  food, 
and  I  stooped  a  bit  to  caress  him,  notwith- 
standmg  it  was  out  of  order  on  the  march. 
As  I  did  so,  a  rushing,  just  over  my  head, 
made  me  look  up,  and,  0  Katie,  a  rifle  ball 
had  hit  my  comrade.  It  had  been  fired  from 
a  house,  that  we  were  passing.  Poor  fellow  ! 
he  fell  to  rise  no  more.  His  blood  stains  the 
soil  of  Baltimore,  and  can  never  be  washed 
out.  It  was  dreadful !  awful  to  feel  that  he 
lost  his  life  when  mine  would  have  been  taken 
but  for  Trip.  Trip  danced  around  me  in  the 
wildest  joy,  and  all  that  April  afternoon  he 
continued  to  watch  me  as  a  dog  only  can.  I 
do  believe  that  you,  Katie,  have  given  him 
especial  directions  concerning  me  ;  is  it  so  ? 
Had  it  not  been  for  the  true  colors,  with 
which  you  adorned  your  offering,  I  should 
not  have  kept  Trip  with  me,  for,  you  know, 
dogs  do  not  draw  rations,  neither  does  Uncle 
Sam  accept  them  as  volunteers. 

"  How  strange  all  this  life  is — not  half  so 


142  KATE    morgan's    SOLDIERS. 

fine  as  the  old  days  on  the  Vermillion,  when 
we  used  to  fight  battles  side  by  side,  conquer- 
ing the  old  prairie  and  bringing  it  into  sub- 
jection until  it  came  to  us  with  its  dear 
peace-ofi"erings  of  grains  and  fruit.  0  give 
me  free  prairie-life,  and  next  to  it,  something 
to  do  for  Uncle  Sam — and  Uncle  John,  who, 
by-the-by,  I  expect  to  meet  in  in  Washington 
if  his  regiment  is  fortunate  enough  to  reach 
there. 

"  Tell  Sydney  to  plant  the  farm  all  over, 
for  Uncle  Sam  is  going  to  have  lots  of  com- 
pany to  entertain  all  summer,  and  quite  a  bit 
of  the  next  winter  too,  I  imagine,  from  the 
black  looks  and  '  would-if-I-dare'  look  of  the 
people  that  come  out  to  see  us  pass  by ;  there- 
fore warn  Sydney  to  have  plenty  of  potatoes 
for  me  when  I  come  home,  for  they  are  not  in- 
cluded in  my  rations. 

"  I  hope  you  will  not  get  very  lonely,  nor 
let  Mamy  cry  too  much  for  Paul ;  and  Katie, 
just  this  part  of  the  letter  is  for  you  alone.  I 
think  sometimes,  especially  since  yesterday, 
when  my  life  came  so  near  going  from  me, 
that  I  may  be  killed.  I  don't  want  to  distress 
you,  but  I  must  write  just  this,  that  if  God 


J 

A   SUSPENSE.  143 

should  call  me  away  in  the  battle,  or  in  any- 
other  way,  I  wish  that  you  would  always  take 
care  of  Mamy.  I  am  certain  that  she  will 
love  you,  and  I  hope  that  she  will  have 
property  enough  so  that  she  may  not  be  a 
burden  to  you;  and  don't  forget  John  in 
Kansas.  You  will  go  back  there  in  happier 
days,  I  believe,  and  if  ever  you  should,  and  I 
am  not  there  to  remind  you  of  troublesome 
Paul,  think  of  me  and  how  thankful  I  am  for 
all  your  kindness.  Here  goes  the  call  to  march. 
I  am  off.     Farewell  to  all  and  love  to  each. 

Paul  Lee." 

So  ended  the  first  letter  from  Paul — ''  our 
soldier  boy,"  as  they  all  called  him.  We  all 
know  with  what  glowing  eyes  and  beating 
hearts  such  letters  were  read  in  those  April 
days  of  sunshine  and  tears,  that  lingered  longer 
than  usual,  it  seemed — letters  written  under 
all  conceivable  circunstances,  and  with  every 
variety  of  material,  by  hands  that  knew  the 
way  to  the  hearts  that  were  aching  at  home. 
And  we  all  know  the  chronic  ache  for  news 
from  Washington,  when  traitors  cut  wires, 
tore  up  rail-ways,  and  would  have  hindered 


144  KATE    morgan's    SOLDIERS. 

God'*'  sn...  lom  shining  on  us  had  it  not  been 
neld  in  His  hand. 

Meanwhile  no  news  from  Capt.  Merwin — 
lost  still  between  Philadelphia  and  Washing- 
ton. Shall  we  fly  to  search  for  him  ?  The 
telegraph  and  United  States  mail  cannot  find 
him,  but  mayhap  we  can. 

Disloyal  men  refuse  to  give  Uncle  Sam 
passage-way  for  his  travelling  company,  there- 
fore Uncle  Sam  finds  it  to  his  present  interest 
to  trust  to  the  courtesy  of  the  blue  sea.  The 
Massachusetts  Eighth  and  the  New  York 
Seventh  are  turned  from  their  course. 

The  next  that  we  hear  of  them  is  well  told 
by  another,  one  who  journeyed  with  them, 
one  who  beheld  their  manly  efibrts,  and  their 
brave  success,  and  who  told  their  story  in  the 
following  June,  and  who  went  through  the 
gate  of  death  just  as  he  had  whispered  in 
*our  hearts  his  "  Good-by-Every-body," — the 
brave  young  Winthrop,  who  fell  at  Big 
Bethel.  He  died  nobly,  he  fell  truly,  he  sleeps 
quietly,  near  the  old  elms  of  Newhaven.  A 
sorrowing  city  went  to  his  burial — a  nation 
to  Bethel  where  he  fell. 


CHAPTER    VII. 

TRIAL    OF    PATIENCE. 

Time  sped  on,  with  a  momentous  rustle  in 
his  wings,  and  there  came,  flying  from  his 
pinions,  feather  after  feather  of  rumor,  into 
the  quiet  town  of  Cedarville,  but  no  white 
feather  fell  there.  In  Cedarville,  no  traitor 
to  his  country  was  known. 

A  longer  interval  than  usual  had  passed 
without  letters  from  Captain  John  Merwin  or 
Paul  Lee,  and  a  shade  of  unwonted  anxiety 
came  and  went,  fitfully  as  a  cloud  shadow, 
over  the  calm  face  of  Mrs.  Merwin,  and  yet 
it  found  no  words,  until  one  day  Sydney  came 
in  from  his  morning's  work  on  the  farm,  a- 
the  call  of  the  dinner  bell,  and  took  his  ac- 
customed place  at  the  table. 

*'  I'm  as  hungry  as  in  old  Kansas  times,  I 
do  believe.  Please  give  me  a  famous  piece 
of  beef  to-day,  mother,"  said  Sydney,  looking 
not  upon  the  table,  but  out  at  the  movements 
of  the  waiting  horses  at  the  gate. 


146  KATE    morgan's   SOLDIERS. 

A  sadder  expression  than  usual  passed  over 
Mrs.  Merwin's  face.  No  one  but  Katie  saw 
it.  She  said,  ''  Can't  you  tell  beef  from  plum 
pudding,  Sydney?" 

Sydney's  eyes  returned  to  the  table.  Be- 
fore him  lay  the  nicely  browned  pudding  that 
he  had  mistaken  for  beef.  He  could  not  un- 
derstand the  state  of  affairs,  nor  would^he, 
until  Mrs.  Merwin  was  compelled  to  say  that 
she  had  exhausted  her  store  of  money,  and 
must  await  more  from  her  husband. 

'^  Father  doesn't  know  of  this,  surely,"  said 
Lizzie,  with  her  large  wistful  eyes  turned 
full  on  her  mother's  face. 

''  No,  child,  and  we  must  never  tell  him ; 
he  would  lose  all  the  pleasure  of  serving  his 
country,  if  he  knew  we  w^anted  for  anything." 
"  I  don't  believe  we  do,"  said  Katie.  ''  This 
pudding  is  as  good  as  beef.  I'm  sure  you  like 
it,  Sydney  !  At  least  I  think  so,  from  the  rapid 
disappearance  of  the  contents  of  your  plate." 
^'  I'm  eating  for  to-morrow.  Perhaps 
mother  hasn't  got  plums  enough  for  pudding 
then,  have  you,  mother  ?" 

''  To-morrow  isn't  come  yet,  my  boy;  we 
will  wait  and  see." 


TRIAL    OF    PATIENCE.  147 

"  Shame  to  complain,  Sydney,"  said  Lizzie. 
"  Think  of  father  and  Paul !  We  have  a  deal 
better  than  soldier's  rations." 

"I'm  not  complaining,  little  puss,  not  I ; 
but  one  thing  is  quite  certain,  we  shan't  starve 
if  one  quarter  of  my  potato  crop  grows  well," 
and  with  no  farther  thought  for  the  morrow, 
Sydney  started  for  his  afternoon  work. 

''  Is  it  really  so  bad,  Aunt  Lizzie  ?  Is  the 
last  money  gone?" 

''Yes,  dear,  my  last  penny  went  this  morn- 
ing." 

"  Why  didn't  you  tell  the  woman  so  who 
came  here  yesterday  asking  you  for  money 
because  hers  was  almost  gone  ?"  asked  Katie 
Morgan. 

''  Because  I  can  endure  without  complaint, 
and  she  cannot ;  she  has  no  idea  of  what  this 
war  is  for,  she  knows  nothing  of  the  blessings 
of  law  or  liberty.  Her  idea  of  this  strife  is, 
that  if  she  gets  her  daily  bread,  it  is  success- 
ful;  if  she  dosen't,  everything  is  going 
wrong." 

"  And  you,  Aunt  Lizzie,  what  are  you  going 
to  do?     Will  you  apply  to  the  relief  com-- 
mittee?" 
13 


148  KATE    morgan's    SOLDIERS. 

'^  Xot  if  I  can  help  it,  nor  unless  my  chil- 
dren complain  very  loudly." 

"  Eight,  Aunt  Lizzie  !  You  are  my  ideal 
of  a  real  woman ;  you  are  one  of  the  best 
soldiers  in  the  army.  I  hope  you'll  get  pro- 
moted." 

'^  Perhaps  I  shall,  Katie,  but  not  in  his 
army.  Woman's  promotion  is  not  in  this 
world.  It  is  in  a  higher  army  that  we  must 
look  for  honor,  because,  no  lesser  glory  can 
ever  content  us,"  and  Mrs.  Merwin  drew 
Katie's  face  close  to  her's  for  an  instant  and 
kissed  it. 

As  soon  as  she  was  released,  Katie  sought 
her  little  store  of  gold  that  had  been  allotted 
to  her  as  a  portion  from  Aunt  Myra's  income, 
and  hastened  to  put  it  into  Aunt  Lizzie's 
hand. 

At  first  Mrs.  Merwin  refused  it,  but  Katie's 
earnest  pleading  won  its  acceptance,  and 
thenceforward  for  two  weeks  no  complaint 
was  heard.  Still  there  came  no  letter  from 
Captain  Merwin,  and  at  length  Katie's  gold 
was  exhausted,  and  there  seemed  no  help  but 
to  apply  to  the  relief  committee. 

Sydney  looked  sullenly  at  dinner  on  the  day 


TRIAL    OF    PATIENCE.  119 

the  money  was  gone,  and  Mamy  came  near 
to  crying,  in  memory  of  Kansas. 

"  I  thought  people  never  starved  here. 
John  told  me  so,"  she  said,  with  a  plaintive, 
sorry  tone  in  her  voice,  and  Katie  touched 
the  little  silken  head  with  her  gentle  fingers, 
and  whispered,  ''Never  fear,  Mamy,  you 
sha'n't  starve." 

"  No,  no  1"  exclaimed  the  child,  "  its  rain- 
ing this  very  minute  ;  your  corn  and  potatoes 
will  grow  as  fast  as  Jack's  great  bean,  Sydney. 
We  can't  ever  put  them  all  in  Katie's  barn. 
Mr.  Merwin  and  Paul  will  have  to  come  home 
and  build  a  bigger  one." 

Mamy's  ideas  of  suffering  were  all  con- 
nected with  dearth  of  rain,  and  her  ideas  of 
plenty  with  abundance  of  the  same,  hence 
her  little  soul  was  aglow  with  hope,  as  she 
saw  the  May  showers  fall  plenteously. 

The  same  May  rain  fell,  to  the  very  evi- 
dent discomfort  of  the  genius  of  the  house- 
hold. Mrs.  Merwin  had  determined  that  the 
interests  of  her  family  were  to  be  no  longer 
weighed  in  the  scale  of  her  own  wishes,  and 
that  on  this  particular  afternoon  she  would 
make  application  for  assistance,  but  a  long 


150  KATE    MOEGAX'S    SOLDIERS. 

walk  was  between  Aunt  Myra's  house  and 
the  committee  rooms,  and  thickly  and  heavily 
fell  the  rain  through  every  moment  of  the 
afternoon  hours.  Fold  on  fold  of  cloud  shut 
out  the  sun-light,  and  it  darkened  early. 

Mamy  and  John,  junior,  were  tired  of  play 
and  grew  fretful.  Sydney  came  early  in  be- 
'cause  ^'he  could  not  plant  in  such  a  flood," 
and  Lizzie  took  herself  into  obscurity  to 
study  lessons  for  to-morrow. 

Truly,  that  May  day  was  closing  in  gloom. 
Every  thing  went  wrong  with  John  junior. 
At  last  Katie  looked  up  from  her  sewing, 
just  in  time  to  catch  a  very  suspicious  glis- 
tening in  Aunt  Lizzie's  eyes.  Down  went 
Katie's  work,  and  in  a  moment  John's  play- 
things were  gone,  and  John  and  Mamy  were 
far  on  their  way  to  the  garret  with  Katie, 
where  she  lui'ed  them  with  the  promise  of  a 
story.  Katie  told  famous  stories,  as  Mamy 
thought,  and  Johnny  delighted  in  them. 
Katie  seated  herself  in  the  window,  where 
she  had  embroidered  Trip's  national  col- 
lar, and  with  Mamy  on  one  side  and  Johnny 
on  the  other,  in  the  dim  light  of  the  garret, 
she  wove  fact  and  fancy  into  a  famous  stor}^, 


TRIAL    OF    PATIENCE.  151 

that  entranced  her  listeners.  When  one 
story  was  completed  they  begged  for  another, 
but  Katie  said  "  she  couldn't  possibly  make 
two  stories  in  one  day,"  and  bade  the  chil- 
dren play  until  she  came  back. 

In  the  family  room  affairs  had  not  bright- 
ened. The  evening  promised  continuous  rain^ 
and  was  very  cold,  for  late  in  May.  Katie 
looked  about  for  some  brightener  of  their 
dullness.  Sydney  had  gone  to  the  post-office 
to  see  if  by  chance  the  long  delayed  let- 
ters had  come,  on  this  night  of  all  others. 
x\s  she  waited,  thinking  what  she  might  do, 
Sydney  came,  dripping,  and  alas !  for  this 
night's  hope,  no  letters. 

It  was  time  for  lights.  Katie  heard  the 
children  calling  to  know  why  she  staid  so 
long,  and  with  a  sudden  thought — an  inspi- 
ration she  called  it — she  ran  on  to  meet 
them. 

Katie  had  decided  in  her  own  mind  that  a 
fire,  a  wood  fire,  such  as  she  remembered  to 
have  seen  kindled  in  Aunt  Myra's  time, 
would  greatly  enliven  this  gloomy  evening, 
and  Katie  straightway  sought  the  means  of 
makins^  it. 

o 

13* 


152  KATE    M0EGA^^'S    SOLDIEES. 

In  the  ''spare  room,"  never  used  save  for 
very  highly  honored  guests  in  Aunt  Myra's 
life,  Katie  remembered  having  seen,  in  the 
days  of  her  childhood,  a  pair  of  bright  brass 
andirons.  Perhaps  they  were  still  there.  At 
all  events  Katie  would  go  and  see.  With  a 
noiseless  step  and  a  feeling  of  awe  she  entered 
the  room.  It  seemed  something  like  sac- 
rilege to  Katie  to  venture  into  the  room 
so  long  forbidden  to  her  childish  feet.  She 
put  back  the  soft  white  curtains,  that  she 
might  have  all  the  light  the  clouded  heavens 
would  give,  and  approached  the  fire-place.  It 
seemed  a  long  while  since  the  tightly-fitting 
fire-board  had  been  removed.  Katie  tried  to 
take  it  out,  but  it  would  not  yield.  She  went 
for  an  assistant.  It  came  in  with  her  in  the 
form  of  a  hammer,  with  which  she  drew  out 
the  fastening.  At  last  the  board  yielded, 
and  Katie  lifted  it  away. 

Just  as  it  used  to  look  when  Katie  thought 
the  "spare  room"  high  perfection,  it  looked 
now.  There  were  the  once  highly  polished 
andirons,  brightened  by  Aunt  Myra's  own 
hands,  dulled,  indeed,  by  time  and  dampness, 
and   covering   all   else,   the  self-same    cedar 


TRIAL    OF    PATIENCE.  153 

boughs  with  their  blue  berries  (it  seemed  to 
Katie)  that  used  to  make  the  room  odorous 
with  mountain  sweetness. 

Katie's  hands  trembled  with  awe,  and  with 
a  certain  kind  of  fear,  as  if  she  had  no  right" 
to  remove  them,  as  she  removed  the  cedar 
boughs  one  after  another.  They  must  have 
been  a  long  time  there,  for  the  leaves  and  the 
berries  fell  off  at  a  touch.  The  fire  place 
was  one  of  the  kind  but  rarely  found,  built 
when  house-builders  were  quite  in  earnest 
about  such  things,  and  made  fireplaces  of  a 
size  to  contain  a  email  family.  Katie  sat 
down  upon  the  carpet  and  laid  the  branches 
on  either  side.  It  was  almost  dark  now. 
Mamy  and  John  had  come  from  the  gar- 
ret, and  seeing  the  door  of  the  room  open 
came  in. 

"  0  what  are  you  doing,"  exclaimed  Johnny, 
as  he  saw  Katie  half  enveloped  in  shrubbery. 
And  what  was  Katie  doing  ? 

"She  was  crying  as  if  her  heart  would 
break  right  in  two,"  Mamy  reported  after- 
wards. At  all  events  we  happen  to  know 
that  Katie  Morgan  was  crying  with  all  her 
heart,  and  that  John  and  Mamy  began  to 


154  KATE    morgan's   SOLDIERS. 

cry  too  out  of  sympathy,  before  Katie  was 
brought  back  to  the  present. 

''We  shall  cry,  and  die,  if  you  don't  laugh, 
Katie,"  said  Mamy,  whose  blue  eyes  always 
lay  close  to  tears,  and  who  had  never  seen 
Katie  Morgan  cry,  until  this  day. 

"  Katie,  dear  !" 

It  was  Aunt  Lizzie's  voice  who  called  from 
below,  and  Katie  Morgan  jumped  up  sud- 
denly— 

"  What's  that  in  your  apon,  Tate  ?"  asked 
Johnny  as  Katie  gently  put  him  aside  and 
disappeared. 

Johnny  was  utterly  amazed.  He  went 
down  to  his  mother  and  announced  the  fact 
that  somebody  had  been  "  most  killin  Tuzzin 
Tate." 

But  Katie  followed  him  so  closely,  bearing 
one  of  the  huge  andirons  in  her  arms,  and 
there  arose  such  a  little  bustling  confusion 
generally  about  the  fire  that  was  to  be,  that 
Katie's  tears  went  into  the  past  and  were 
forgotten. 

Sydney  brought  the  wood,  and  they  piled 
it  high.  Soon  the  fire  was  blazing  and  roar- 
ing up  the  damp  old  chimney. 


Llansas  5torg. 


Like  a  vision  she  seemed  to  the  man  in  a  white  apron. 

p.  155. 


TRIAL    OF    PATIENCE.  155 

A  pair  of  very  bright  young  eyes  looked 
up  at  the  old  chimney,  and  a  sweet,  glad 
voice  sang  out  into  the  night-gloom, 

"III  never,  no,  never  despair," 

the  owner  of  the  eyes  and  the  voice  made  all 
haste  towards  the  village.  She  left  the  house 
without  an  umbrella,  because  she  could  not 
get  one  and  escape  unseen.  She  was  wrapped 
in  the  same  crimson  shawl  that  we  saw  a 
young  girl  wear  on  an  April  day  not  very 
long  ago,  and  of  course  our  bright  messenger 
was  Katie  Morgan.  Whither  was  she  bound, 
and  what  was  her  mission  ? 

As  she  passed  the  Cedarville  postoffice  one 
little  sigh  escaped  into  the  storm,  and  one 
little  wish  nestled  down  closer  and  closer  to 
her  heart,  but  Katie  had  this  minute  a  wait- 
ing household  in  view,  and  her  steps  knew 
no  pause  until  she  found  herself  where  she 
had  never  been. 

She  entered%the  village  market.  Like  a 
vision  she  seemed  to  the  man  in  a  white 
apron,  who  was  its  sole  occupant. 

"  Please,  sir,  give  me  some  beef." 

Katie  knew  nothing  of  quality  or  size,  but 


156  KATE    morgan's   SOLDIERS. 

the  man  served  her  with  his  choicest,  and  re- 
ceived a  shining  gold  piece  from  her  hand. 

"  I  hope  you  haven't  far  to  carry  this,"  he 
said, — for  the  man  was  curious  to  know  who 
she  miojht  be. 

''  Not  very  far,  thank  you,"  Katie  said,  and 
she  received  her  meat,  and  the  money  in 
change,  and  left. 

The  same  fair  young  girl  was  seen  that 
night  in  two  or  three  places  where  her  face 
was  unknown.  Katie  was  very  thankful  that 
she  had  carried  no  umbrella,  for  her  burden 
was  all  that  she  could  well  bear  as  she  toiled 
joyfully  towards  home. 

To  get  in  without  discovery  required  the 
utmost  caution,  but  Katie  achieved  it,  as  she 
did  most  of  the  things  she  tried  to  do. 
Not  long  after  she  had  reached  her  room  she 
heard  her  name  called  in  various  voices  that 
she  knew. 

She  answered  them  by  her  presence,  now 
quite  free  from  the  least  suspicion  of  having 
been  in  the  rain. 

A  brisk  little  storm  of  inquiry  raged  for 
awhile  as  to  her  past  movements.  Katie 
warded  it  oflp  as  best  she  could,  and  began 
busily  to  set  forth  the  tea-table. 


TRIAL    OF    PATIENCE.  157 

Aunt  Lizzie  came  to  her  aid,  (feebly,  Katie 
thought,)  and  so  she  coaxed  her  back  to  her 
easy  chair,  and  Lizzie  becajne  her  assistant. 

''  What  are  all  these  packages  on  the 
table?"  Lizzie  asked,  when  Katie  had  fairly 
entered  the  kitchen  with  closed  doors. 

"  Something  to  eat,"  was  Katie's  laconic 
reply. 

The  tea-kettle  was  on  the  stove,  and  the 
water  in  it  was  boiling,  and  Katie  made  all 
haste  to  prepare  the  good  things  that  she 
had  brought. 

Aunt  Lizzie  perceived  the  savory  odors, 
and  appeared  in  the  midst  of  Katie  s  cooking. 

"  What  does  this  mean,  dear  ?  Where  did 
this  meat  come  from?"  she  asked. 

"  From  market." 

"  Have  you  been  to  the  relief  committee 
for  me,  Katie." 

''  No,  dear  aunt;  I  haven't  been  near  any 
one  belonging  to  a  committee ;  this  meat  is 
bought  and  paid  for  with  our  own  money." 

''But  where  did  it  come  from,  dear  ?  ^I 
thought  you  had  given  me  your  last." 

"  And  so  I  had  ;  but,  aunt,  this  came — 
please  don't  ask  me  how  or  when.     I  want 


158  KATE    morgan's    SOLDIERS. 

that  for  my  own  secret — for  the  present  at 
least." 

Aunt  Lizzie  remembered  the  story  of  Jack's 
compass,  and  the  grief  it  caused  Katie  to  tell 
Uncle  John,  and  in  memory  of  it  she  let 
Katie  have  her  own  way  now,  although  she 
found  it  very  hard. 

Katie's  mine  proved  very  valuable.  Day 
after  day  she  drew  from  it,  and  the  store  was 
far  from  spent,  when  a  welcome  letter  from 
Captain  John  Merwin  brought  them  comfort 
and  aid. 

That  particular  letter  was  a  blessing  to 
Mrs.  Merwin.  It  found  her  very  weary  with 
the  lono;  heart  march  of  the  battle,  where  no 
music  cheers  and  no  pen  records  dear  wo- 
man's efforts  in  the  strife,  and  it  gave  some 
explanation  of  the  long  waiting.  Changes 
had  been  wrought  in  our  army.  The  term 
of  service  had  expired  with  some  regiments, 
and  now  Captain  Merwin  is  no  longer  with 
the  Massachusetts  Eighth.  Mrs.  Merwin 
read  his  letter  over  for  the  last  time  quite 
late  at  night,  after  the  children  had  gone  to 
bed.  As  she  closed  it  and  pressed  her  lips 
for  an  instant  to  her  name  on  the  envelope, 


TRIAL    OF    PATIENCE.  159 

as  the  latest  record  of  his  love  for  her,  she 
heard  a  timid  touch  at  the  door,  a  soft  feel- 
ing for  the  knob,  and  then  Katie  Morgan 
gently  came  in,  bearing  a  carefully  covered 
parcel  in  her  arms. 

"  I  come  to  make  a  confession.  Aunt  Lizzie, 
and  to  tell  you  how  glad  I've  been  all  these 
days,"  said  Katie,  and  she  kneeled  playfully 
before  Aunt  Lizzie,  still  bearing  in  her  arms 
her  precious  burden,  and  then  she  went  on 
hastily  with  her  story  in  this  wise : 

'*  You  remember,  Aunt  Lizzie,  the  night 
that  it  stormed,  and  we  were  all  so  disap- 
pointed and  lonely,  and  Mamy  and  Johnny 
were  so  fretful?" 

"  Yes,  Katie,  I  remember  well." 

"  I  tried  to  think  of  some  way  to  make 
things  seem  better  and  brighter,  and  I  re- 
membered how  this  room  used  to  look  gay  to 
me  when  I  was  very  little,  when  there  was  a 
blazing  fire  in  the  large  chimney,  and  so  I 
thought  it  would  brighten  matters  wonder- 
fully now,  and  I  went  to  look  in  the  fireplace 
in  Aunt  Myra's  '  spare  room'  for  the  old 
andirons  that  used  to  shine  so  there,  and  I 
found  the  fireboard  fastened  in  very  tightly 
14 


160  KATE    morgan's   SOLDIERS. 

as  thougli  it  was  not  meant  to  be  taken  out. 
After  a  while  I  took  it  away,  and  I  found  in- 
side the  very  andirons  that  I  remembered, 
and,  it  seemed  to  me,  the  very  cedar-boughs 
that  Aunt  Myra  and  I  brought  from  the  hills 
when  I  lived  here.  I  sat  down  on  the  carpet 
and  began  taking  out  the  branches ;  I  came 
upon  a  brown  package,  put  far  back  against 
the  chimney.  It  was  done  up  in  ever-so- 
many  yellow-looking  papers,  but  it  was  so 
nearly  dark  then  that  I  could 'nt  see  that.  I 
unrolled  one  after  another  until  I  came  to 
what  is  in  here,"  and  Katie  laid  her  burden 
before  Aunt  Lizzie,  with  the  final  words, 
''  Look  and  see  what  I  found,  please." 

Aunt  Lizzie  unfolded  the  papers,  as  Katie 
had  done,  until  she  came  upon  a  very  old- 
fashioned  silver  teapot.  She  held  it  up  to 
the  light,  and  read  the  name. 

"  Your  grandmother's,  Katie." 

"  Yes,  aunt,  but  look  inside." 

Mrs.  Merwin  looked.  It  was  even  now 
half  filled  with  silver  and  gold  coins,  and 
within  it  lay  a  paper.  It  was  in  Aunt  Myras 
crooked,  angular,  terribly  sharp  style,  that 
she  found  written  these  words  : 


TRIAL    OF    PATIENCE.  161 

*'  To  my  niece,  Katie  Morgan,  I  give  this, 
for  her  own  uses,  whatever  they  may  be,  and 
I  charge  the  finder  to  give  the  same  to  her." 

"  And  you  have  been  using  this  for  us, 
Katie,"  said  Aunt  Lizzie,  and  a  silent  tear 
dropped  on  the  gold. 

"  No,  aunt;  for  one  of  my  very  own  pur- 
poses. 0  I  was  so  glad  when  I  found  it ; 
just  here  when  we  were  all  so  unhappy,  and 
I  wanted  so  much  to  save  you  from  going  to 
strangers.  I  was  so  glad  when  it  rained  that 
afternoon,  and  the  best  walk  I  ever  had  was 
out  in  the  storm  that  night,  with  a  piece  of 
gold  for  my  companion." 

"  Did  you  go  to  the  village  alone  when  we 
missed  you  ?" 

"  Yes,  aunt;  don't  blame  me.  I  was  afraid 
to  ask  Sydney,  for  fear  you'd  make  me  tell 
my  secret  then,  and  wouldn't  use  my  money. 
Good-night,"  and  without  waiting  for  an  an- 
swer, Katie  left. 


CHAPTER    VIII. 

A    MEMORABLE    DAY. 

June,  the  month  of  great  dews,  and  heavy 
with  roses,  looked  in,  as  is  its  wont,  upon  our 
country.  Its  sun  warmed  into  life  the  seeds 
that  John  left  on  the  prairie,  and  those  that 
Sydney  strewed  over  Aunt  Myra's  farm. 
They  were  growing — growing  all.  God  had 
appointed  the  smallest  of  them,  ere  it  sprang 
from  the  heart  of  the  brown  earth,  and  he 
watched  their  growth,  now  giving  them  sun- 
light and  now  storm,  at  his  own  will. 

It  required  all  Katie's  patience,  and  all  her 
bright  powers  of  persuasion  to  keep  Sydney 
at  work,  for  nature  had  not  made  a  farmer  of 
him,  and  war  did  not  succeed  in  manufactur- 
ing him  into  one,  and  so  Katie  went  out 
every  day  to  watch  the  growth  of  his  work 
and  steadily  point  the  finger  of  coming  cir- 
cumstance for   him,  and  therefore,  between 


A   MEMOEABLE    DAT.  163 

Katie  and  duty,  Sydney  toiled  on  through 
the.  June  days. 

Jim's  mother  in  Greendale  mourned  his 
absence  long  and  audibly,  and  one  would  have 
believed  that  he  had  been  all  perfection. 
So  much  did  absence  soften  his  faults. 

In  Cedarville,  the  relief  committee  are  no 
longer  dreaded,  and  the  market-man  has  not 
yet  discovered  the  identity  of  the  bright 
messenger  who  flashed  into  his  dingy  room 
one  rainy  iiight. 

Yes,  time  goes  on  slowly,  very  slowly, 
through  the  early  days  of  summer  and  we 
come  to  an  awful  pause  in  July.  Armies 
have  been  gathering:  gathered  in  the  South, 
gathered  in  the  North,  through  all  the  days 
since  April  brought  to  view  the  reality  of  an 
unnatural  revolt,  and  now  they  rest  with  the 
wide  Potomac  rolling  between.  And  now  the 
army  arrayed  to  protect  the  country  and 
maintain  its  constitutional  authority,  ad- 
vances to  meet  the  waiting  foe. 

Companies,  regiments,  brigades,  divisions, 

— how  grandly  they  look  as  they  cross  the 

broad  rolling  river,  and  march  onward.    But 

there  are  days  lying  between  them  and  the 

14* 


164  KATE    morgan's   SOLDIERS. 

clear  white  light  of  the  Sunday  morning  yet 
to  dawn. 

Our  story  has  little  to  do  with  regiments 
or  divisions,  except  that  our  friends  are 
marching  amid  the  legions  there.  In  the 
Minnesota  First  Regiment  is  John ;  in  the 
Fifth  Massachusetts  is  Jim,  of  Greendale. 

Mr.  John  Merwin  has  lost  his  title  of  Cap- 
tain, and  gained  a  higher.  And  Paul  is  there, 
bright,  brave,  honest,  and  true ;  and  Paul 
thinks  of  a  town  in  Massachusetts,  where  his 
sister  and  his  friends  are,  and  for  a  moment 
Paul's  vision  is  dimmed.  He  clears  it  with  a 
silent  prayer,  and  hurries  on. 

How  many  prayers  do  you  think  went  up 
on  that  Sunday,  the  21st  of  July,  from  the 
battle-fields  of  North  and  South  ? — Prayers 
for  life,  prayers  for  mercy ;  prayers  of  terror ; 
prayers  of  vengeance ;  despairing  prayers ; 
prayers  wrung  out  by  pain  and  torture ;  pray- 
ers to  God,  and  prayers  to  man ;  prayers  for 
time,  and  prayers  for  eternity.  The  record  is 
beyond  mortal  ken,  but  we  know  that  angels 
keep  it  well. 

The  deadly  strife  was  suspended  for  awhile. 
Victory  was  not  to  be  with  the  North  that 


A    MEMORABLE    DAY.  165 

day.     Our  army  fled  wlien  no  man  pursued. 

The  panic  was  at  its  height.  Each  man  in 
the  disorganized  mass  strove  to  place  his 
neighbour  between  himself  and  the  enemy. 
The  ground  received  those  that  lay  down  to 
die,  and  those  that  were  overwearied  with  the 
battle  of  hunger  and  thirst  and  blood. 

Column  after  column  swept  over  the  field. 
The  grand  army  that  went  out  to  victory  had 
nearly  all  left  the  scene,  when  one  of  that 
army  stopped  in  his  haste,  and  listened  to 
the  prayer  of  a  fallen  brother.  Something 
in  the  face  upturned  to  the  light  made  him 
pause.  The  prayer  was  only  a  groan,  but 
having  heard  it,  the  man  bent  over,  and  lis- 
tened for  some  further  sign  of  life. 

The  face  was  black  with  dust  and  the  soil 
of  the  affray.  Jim  would  not  have  known  his 
best  friend  under  the  guise  of  this  fallen  sol- 
dier, but  the  face  and  the  groan  held  him 
prisoner.  He  bent  still  lower,  very  close,  to 
know  if  the  groan  had  been  his  last,  and  as 
he  did  so,  there  opened  to  his  gaze  the  eyes 
of  the  injured  man. 

''  What  can  I  do  for  you?"  said  Jim,  start- 
ing aside  as  he  asked  the  question  to  escape 


166  KATE    morgan's    SOLDIERS. 

the  hoofs  of  a  flying  horse,  that  rushed  with 
his  rider  on  over  the  dead  and  dying. 

^' It's  no  use;  I'm  finished,"  was  the  an- 
swer, and  the  grimy  face  grew  pale. 

"  Not  so  bad,  poor  fellow,  I  hope ;  where 
is  it?"  Jim's  heart  failed  him  when  the 
worst  was  known. 

''  I  can't  leave  you  here,"  Jim  said,  and  he 
strove  to  lift  the  man.  Jim  called  to  those 
who  were  flying  past  him  for  assistance,  but 
dear  life  was  calling  louder,  and  on  they 
rushed. 

A  little  water,  a  very  little,  from  his  can- 
teen, Jim  poured  between  the  parched  lips  of 
the  wounded  soldier,  and  he  gathered  around 
him  a  partial  shield  from  the  sun  out  of  the 
material  left  by  the  retreating  men. 

For  a  minute  Jim  hesitated.  The  enemy 
was  supposed  to  be  in  hot  pursuit,  and  death 
or  horrible  imprisonment  was,  he  thought, 
to  be  his  portion  if  he  stayed.  There  was 
nothing  that  he  could  do.  The  angel  of 
death  would,  he  believed,  come  to  this  man 
before  the  night  was  gone,  and  yet  Jim  did 
not  go. 

*' Eun,  man!    run!  if  you  would   live  to 


A    MEMORABLE , DAY.  167 

fight  another  day,"  shouted  some  one  as  he 
passed. 

"  We're  rained!"  "  We're  beaten!"  ''  The 
country's  gone !"  "  Save  yourself,  Massachu- 
setts boy!"  "  The  enemy  is  upon  us!"  "  A 
host  of  cavalry  is  just  behind !"  were  variously 
screamed  into  Jim's  ears,  and  his  shoulders 
were  touched  to  see  if  he  were  alive,  or  only 
a  seeming  man,  by  the  hurrying  throng,  and 
yet  Jim  stayed!  Again  he  besought  aid, 
and  watching  faces  as  they  came  up,  Jim  at 
last  found  one  that  had  mercy.  Together 
they  lifted  up  the  wounded  man  and  carried 
him  to  a  place  in  the  shade,  where  the  re- 
treat would  leave  him  free  from  peril. 

''  Is  it  a  brother?  Hopeless  case,"  said  the 
passer-by.  ''  Sorry  for  you;  these  are  sorry 
times,"  and  without  waiting  Jim's  answer 
the  man  was  away. 

"  Why  don't  you  go,  friend  ?  You've  done 
me  a  kindness.  Uncle  Sam  must  pay  you;  I 
can't,  anyway,"  and  the  apparently  dying 
man  looked  his  thanks. 

xilong  the  horizon,  very  near  now,  through 
the  dusky  light  of  the  Sabbath  afternoo°n, 
appeared  a  cloud  of  dust.     Jim  thought,  the 


168  KATE    ^organ's    SOLDIERS. 

hostile  cavalry  was  hastening  to  pursu--. 
They  were  too  near  for  his  successful  flight, 
and  Jim  lay  down,  close  beside  his  wounded 
friend.  Perhaps  they  might  be  passed  by  as 
dead,  and  left  unmolested. 

Nearer  and  nearer  they  came.  Jim  closed 
his  eyes.  A  little  low  whine  of  delight,  a 
bark  of  intense  welcome  close  to  himself 
made  Jim  look,  and  standing  over  his  fallen 
comrade,  was  a  dog. 

''Is  it  yours ?"  asked  Jim. 

''I've  no  dog,"  painfully  articulated  the 
man,  but  still  the  animal  stayed  and  bestowed 
his  caresses. 

"  Here,  Trip !  Trip !"  called  the  voice  of  one 
of  the  horsemen  to  the  dog,  but  Trip  stirred 
not.  He  was  entranced,  for  the  moment, 
with  his  new  treasure. 

"  I  must  stop  for  the  dog,  sir.  What  would 
Katie  say?"  replied  the  young  man,  to  an 
evident  entreaty  not  to  pause,  and  our  friend 
Paul  turned  his  horse  toward  Jim  and  the 
fallen  soldier,  calling  Trip  wdth  the  voice  of 
entreaty  and  command.  But  Trip  was  obey- 
ing an  earlier  voice,  heard  through  all  the 
din  of  war. 


A    MEMORABLE    DAY.  169 

''  Come  here,  Trip,"  said  Paul,  riding  quite 
close,  and  surveying  for  an  instant  the  scene. 

The  -wounded  man  opened  his  eyes  and 
started  half  way  up  from  the  ground,  then 
fell  back  with  a  terrible  groan, 

"  This  dog  knows  this  man,"  said  Jim. 

"  Who  is  it,  man  ?  Speak  quick,"  replied 
Paul. 

''  He's  a  soldier,  don't  you  see?" 

"  His  name?  You  are  not  hurt,  why  don't 
you  go?" 

*'  I  don't  know  his  name,  but  your  dog 
knows  him.  You'd  better  look  pretty  close. 
He's  a  Minnesotian,  don't  you  see?"  and  Jim 
pointed  to  the  sign  of  his  regiment. 

The  man  had  fainted  from  his  pain,  and 
Paul  alighted  to  look  at  him.  Trip  meanwhile 
expressing  his  joy  in  all  the  ways  that  he 
knew.  Paul  took  a  few  precious  drops  that 
he  had  stored  all  day  fer  the  direst  need  of 
his  own  or  other's  misery,  and  gave  them  to 
the  man.  An  officer  seemed  waiting  for 
Paul,  and  now  he  summoned  him  to  go. 

"  Poor  fellow !  I  wish  I  could  help  him," 
said  Paul,  and  he  cast  his  eyes  over  all  the 
broad  field  where  scores  lay  in  misery,  and 


170  KATE    morgan's    SOLDIERS. 

turned  to  go,  calling  Trip ;  but  Trip  showed 
no  sign  of  leaving  until  Paul  had  placed  some 
distance  between  himself  and  them.  Then, 
with  a  farewell  caress  to  the  wounded  man 
he  bounded  off,  but  no  sooner  had  he  gained 
his  young  master  than  he  executed  such  won- 
derful leaps,  and  pulls,  and  uttered  such 
cries  that  the  officer  and  Paul  stopped — stop- 
ped in  spite  of  the  cries  of  ''Hurry  on,  the 
rebels  are  pursuing!" — and  turned  back. 

''  Trip  certainly  betrays  knowledge  of  some- 
thing we  ought  to  know,"  said  the  officer. 
"I  will  measure  my  skill  with  his." 

Still  Jim  stood  by  the  wounded  man,  who 
had  recovered  from  his  faintness  and  was 
trying  to  speak,  urging  Jim,  with  all  the 
strength  he  had,  to  wait  no  longer. 

''  Go — my  fi'iend — go — I'm  no  use — to  any- 
body— no  longer — you  can  fight  again — and 
strike  for  me  some  day." 

Trip  was  delighted  beyond  the  joy  of  a  dog 
as  they  came  up.  He  leaped  upon  Paul,  and 
then  touched  the  man  with  his  tongue,  and 
then  waited,  saying  as  plainly  as  he  could  say, 
"  Don't  you  know  him?" 

Paul   came   very  near.      Colonel  Merwin 


A   MEMORABLE    DAY.  171 

bent  to  look  at  the  man,  who  partly  turned 
to  meet  his  gaze.  Who  can  paint  that  recog- 
nition, and  the  simultaneous  thrill  and  rush 
of  words  that  rushed  to  meet  it.  ^'  John  ! 
John  !     How  came  you  here?"  asked  Paul. 

'^  I  had  to  come — but  I  couldn't  help — 
coming — if  he  hadn't — sharp  day — for  us — 
bad  beat,  isn't  it  ?  I'd  fought  harder — if  I'd 
known — you  was  here,"  and,  with  his  long 
effort  completed,  John  again  fell  into  uncon- 
sciousness. 

Jim  looked  about,  but  in  the  whole  line  of 
the  retreat  no  ambulance  was  near.  Colonel 
Merwin  did  the  same.  For  one  moment  John's 
future  destiny  seemed  uncertain ;  then  Colonel 
Merwin  summoned  brave  black  Colie  to  ser- 
vice, and  poor,  wounded,  suffering  John  was 
lifted  upon  him,  and  the  three  walked  by  his 
side,  holding  him  as  best  they  could,  and 
hoping  to  meet  a  better  conveyance  at  every 
mile.  Now  and  then  a  strong  cannon-ball 
from  the  captured  batteries  of  the  United 
States  almost  grazed  them,  and  more  than 
once  Colie  and  his  burden  were  near  being 
the  victims. 

Within  two  miles  of  Centreville  an  ambu- 
15 


172  KATE    morgan's   SOLDIERS. 

lance  was  met  that  had  room  for-  one  man 
more.  Too  much  exhausted  to  know  his 
change,  John  was  transferred  from  Colie  to 
it,  and  the  driver  hurried  on,  with  directions 
from  Colonel  Merwin  for  the  disposition  of 
John,  Jim  meanwhile  keeping  pace  with  Col- 
onel Merwin  and  Paul.  It  was  a  solemn 
march  Northward ;  hearts  were  too  full  to 
speak  much,  and  it  was  not  until  they  were 
near  Centreville  that  Colonel  Mei'win  thought 
to  question  Jim's  individuality. 

'^  What  made  you  stand  by  my  friend  ?"  he 
then  asked. 

'^  His  face,  I  think,  sir.  I  couldn't  leave 
him." 

^'  Did  you  ever  live  in  Q-reendale  ?"  Jim 
asked,  with  an  idea  of  Colonel  Merwin 's 
personality  penetrating  the  present  gloom, 
with  a  ray  of  hope. 

''  Many  years  ;  do  you  know  me  ?" 

''  Perhaps — I  don't  know  certainly,  but  I 
guess  you  are  Mr.  John  Merwin  ;  and  I  am 
Jim,  that  your  boy  gave  a  sled  to,  when  he 
went  away  to  Kansas. 

Colonel  Merwin  warmly  extended  his  hand 
to  Jim,  and  Paul  eagerly  clasped  Jim's,  sub- 


A   MEMORABLE   DAY.  173 

sequently  informing  him  that  Sydney  had 
told  him  all  abont  the  famous  Eobin  Hood, 
and  that  he  hoped  to  see  it  yet. 

Jim's  heart  beat  hard  and  fast— harder  and 
faster  than  it  had  done  in  the  heat  of  the 
affra}^ — and  hungry  and  thirsty,  weary  and 
worn,  hut  human  still,  our  group  reached 
Centreville  as  the  Sunday  was  closing  into 
night.  Without  waiting  for  food  or  rest,  Paul 
departed  to  search  for  John. 

The  order  had  not  been  obeyed,  and  long 
and  eagerly,  at  temporary  hospitals,  and 
wherever  he  could  find  a  wounded  man,  Paul 
sought  his  prairie  friend;  but  no  sight  or 
sound  of  him  could  be  found,  amid  sights  and 
sounds  that  made  Paul's  young  being  stand 
shivering  on  the  shore  of  existence. 

With  tears  in  his  eyes  Paul  reported  that 
John  was -lost,  and  his  fear  that  the  inhuman 
driver  had  perhaps  thrown  him  out  by  the 
way  as  dead.  A  rigid  search  was  instituted, 
but  the  particular  ambulance  or  the  driver 
could  not  be  found,  and,  with  heavier  hearts 
than  ever  before,  Colonel  Merwin  and  Paul 
went  to  duty,  for  John  was  very  dear  to  them 
— dear,  because  he  had  saved  their  lives — 


174  KATE    morgan's    SOLDIERS. 

Mamy's  life  from  drowning,  and  all  Alabama 
from  starvation. 

Meanwhile,  from  wounded  to  dying  went 
the  surgeons  of  the  United  States  army,  in 
Centreville,  that  Sabbath  niglit.  A  chaplain 
of  a  Connecticut  regiment  had  been  on  his 
mission  of  mercy,  and  found  that  mercy  re- 
quired all  sorts  of  offices  from  him.  He  had 
been  a  witness  of  such  pain  and  suffering  as 
war  only  knows  how  to  inflict,  had  knelt  be- 
side departing  souls  going  out  from  the  noise 
of  the  battle  to  the  silence  of  the  grave,  and 
the  fixedness  of  eternity,  and  commended  them 
to  the  God  of  armies.  He  had  spoken  words 
of  cheer  to  the  sorely  pressed,  had  been  the 
surgeon's  sole  assistant  in  severe  amputations ; 
and  as  the  darkness  came  down  there  came  a 
pause  in  their  labors — a  little  period  of  re- 
lease— and  then  the  chaplain  remembered 
having  seen  an  ambulance  before  a  certain 
house  in  the  village,  and,  with  the  surgeon, 
he  sought  it  to  see  if  by  chance  any  wounded 
might  be  there. 

It  proved  a  deserted  house,  but  some  soul, 
kinder  than  is  the  world,  had  put  a  tallow- 
candle  in  a  tin-lantern  and  hung  the  lantern 


A    MEMORABLE    DAY.  175 

in  the  hall.  A  room  opened  from  either  side 
of  the  hall.  Into  one  of  the  rooms  the  chap- 
lain and  the  surgeon  went  and  found,  lying  on 
some  straw  on  the  floor,  three  wounded  men. 
The  lantern  was  brought  in  and  the  men  ex- 
amined by  the  dim  light  it  gave.  There  was 
one  case  for  amputation. 

"  It  must  be  done  to-night  or  never,"  said 
the  surgeon,  "  but  I  cannot  do  it  without 
light." 

''  I  will  find  the  light  if  you  will  get  your 
instruments,"  replied  the  chaplain  ;  and  they 
separated  to  meet  a  little  later. 

Through  effort,  and  money  enough  to  satisfy 
the  heart  of  a  Centrevillian,  the  chaplain 
gained  one  candle.  He  cut  it  in  two,  and 
with  a  tin-candlestick  supporting  one-half 
and  a  bottle-neck  the  other,  the  chaplain  and 
the  surgeon  proceeded  to  amputate  the  foot 
of  one  of  the  sufferers.  His  unconscious 
groans  stirred  into  life  the  other  men,  and 
they  turned  to  see  if  the  enemy  had  come  to 
murder  them  there.  In  the  deserted  room, 
with  no  tender  appliances,  none  of  the  soft 
ameliorations  of  civilized  life,  the  surgeon  used 
his  utmost  skill  upon  the  poor  soldier. 
15* 


176  KATE    morgan's    SOLDIERS. 

As  the  work  was  done  the  chaplain  and  the 
surgeon  looked  up  and  saw  standing  in  the 
door  a  young  man  —  half-soldier  and  half- 
boy  he  seemed, — and  an  involuntary  ''  How 
came  you  here  ?"  was  addressed  to  him  by  the 
surgeon. 

''  I  saw  a  light  and  ventured  in.  I  am  look- 
ing for  a  friend  who  was  wounded  and  has 
been  lost." 

"  It  will  do,"  said  the  surgeon  to  the  chap- 
lain, and  the  sponge,  wet  with  chloroform, 
was  removed  from  before  the  face  of  the  man. 

Paul  ventured  in  to  look. 

''  It  is  my  friend,  God  bless  you,"  said  Paul, 
springing  forward  to  John's  side ;  and  as  he 
did  so  he  saw  the  amputated  foot. 

"  Was  there  no  help  ?"  Paul  asked  ;  and  a 
death-like  paleness  overspread  his  boy-face. 

''  His  life  depended  on  it,"  replied  the  sur- 
geon ;  and  he  left  Paul  the  sole  watcher  in  the 
deserted  room.  Later  at  night,  even  to  mid- 
night, the  chaplain  looked  in  again  as  he  was 
passing  by  the  house,  and  Paul  was  still  watch- 
ing there.  Paul  was  watching,  waiting,  think- 
ing of  those  at  home,  and  uttering  in  sighs 


A    MEMORABLE    DAY, 


177 


liis  wishes  and  his  prayers  of  gratitude  and 
longing. 

What  a  Sunday  night  for  our  country  to 
see  was  that  at  Centreville !  We  hope  and 
trust  that  He  who  sees  beyond  our  poor  ken 
saw  more  for  the  cause  of  right  and  liberty 
than  was  made  visible  to  men.- 


CHAPTEE    IX. 

A    NEW   PHASE. 

It  was  on  Tuesday  morning,  the  Tuesday 
following  the  sad  defeat,  that  the  news  of  it 
crept  up  to  Greendale,  and  thence  on  to 
Cedarville,  carrying  with  it  sorrow  to  all, 
and  the  dreadful  ache  of  waiting  further 
tidings.  Sydney  rushed  in  with  the  flying 
rumor  that  ^'  there  had  been  a  great  battle, 
and  the  army  of  the  North  was  utterly  de- 
stroyed." 

"  What  is  it,  Sydney  ?"  asked  Katie,  who 
had  caught  the  last  words  as  she  came  down 
from  her  room. 

Sydney  repeated  them  for  her.  .  Katie 
looked  at  Aunt  Lizzie  and  said,  pleadingly, 
''  Don't  Aunt  Lizzie,  don't  look  so,  it  may 
not  be ;  I  know  it  isn't  so  bad  as  they  say ; 
nothing  ever  is ;  it  makes  me  ache  to  see  you 
look  so." 

''I  won't,  dear,"  said  Mrs.  Merwin ;  but 
she  arose  and  shut  herself  away  from  human 
sight  for  awhile. 


A    NEW    PHASE.  179 

Sydney  went  for  further  news,  and  Lizzie 
came  home  from  school  with  Mamy,  bringing 
with  her  the  same  sad  story. 

Two  days  passed  before  the  welcome  news 
of  the  safety  of  Colonel  Merwin  and  Paul 
Lee  came.  It  was  followed  by  a  very  long 
letter  from  Paul,  detailing  the  events  re- 
corded in  the  last  chapter.  A  lighting  up  of 
hope  came  with  the  letter.  From  the  first 
hour  of  the  rumor  of  the  failure  of  our  arms, 
Mrs.  Merwin  had  arisen  to  the  task  of  a 
cheerful  comforter  to  her  children,  although 
her  own  heart  could  not  ease  itself  of  its 
heavy  burden. 

A  week  passed,  and  Colonel  Merwin  wrote 
of  coming  home  on  a  short  furlough;  and 
Katie  wished  his  presence  for  more  reasons 
than  one.  July  was  drawing  near  to  its  last 
day  when  Colonel  Merwin  received  a  letter 
from  Cedarville  that  moved  him  beyond  the 
shock  of  war.     I  transcribe  it  here, 

AuxT  Myra's  Garret, 
Cedarville,  July  29. 

Dear  Uncle  John  : — I  have  come  up  here 
to  write,  because  I  don't  wish  Aunt  Lizzie  to 


180  KATE    MOEGAN's    SOLDIERS. 

know  that  I  am  writing  to  you,  for  she  would 
ask  to  read  the  letter,  and  that,  you  will  see, 
I  could  not  let  her  do.  You  wrote  of  coming 
home,  and  I  wish  you  would  come  as  soon  as 
possible.  I  am  afraid  Aunt  Lizzie  is  suffering 
very  much.  She  smiles  just  as  sweetly,  and 
makes  us  all  so  happy;  but.  Uncle  John,  I've 
seen  her  sometimes,  when  she  did  not  know 
it,  and  when  I  know  you  wouldn't  like  to 
have  seen  her ;  and  then,  the  morning  after 
it,  her  face  looks  so  still  and  so  pale,  that  it 
takes  all  our  kisses  to  bring  the  least  mite  of 
colour  into  it.  I  am  afraid.  Uncle  John,  that 
if  you  don't  come  very  soon.  Aunt  Lizzie  will 
be  very  sick.  I  hope  it  is  not  wrong  to  write 
you  this,  but  if  it  is,  you  must  forgive  me, 
because  I  love  you  so  much,  dear  Uncle  John. 
Give  my  love  to  Paul,  and  to  Jim,  if  he  has 
not  forgotten  me,  and  poor  John !  how  I  wish 
you  could  bring  him  home  with  you.  It 
would  be  so  nice  to  be  able  to  do  something 
for  John,  who  saved  us  all.  I  think  it  was 
rather  grand  in  him  to  join  the  army  for  the 
Union,  don't  you  ?  Though  I  don't  see  how 
our  Kansas  farm  is  to  be  taken  care  of;  but 
perhaps  John  has  told  you  all  about  it.     I 


A   NEW   PHASE.  181 

hear  Mamy  calling  to  me,  and  I  must  not  be 
found  hidden  away  up  here  writing,  for  that 
would  bring  a  storm  of  questions,  and  I  am 
afi'aid  the  truth  would  be  stormed  out  of  me. 
I  wish  very  much  to  see  you,  to  be  very  cer- 
tain that  you  haven't  lost  one  eye  at  the 
least,  for  I  can  scarcely  believe  that  you  and 
Paul  are  the  same  Uncle  John  and  Paul  Lee 
that  wejit  from  Cedarville.  Mamy  calls 
again.     Good-bye,  dear  Uncle  John. 

Katie  Morgan. 

This  letter  of  Katie's  was  more  to  Colonel 
Merwin,  as  I  have  stated,  than  all  the  shock 
of  arms  in  which  he  had  had  part;  and 
through  all  forms  and  ceremonies  of  mili- 
tary law  he  made  haste  to  get  his  leave  of 
absence,  and  when  gained  it  included  Paul, 
to  whom  came  very  unexpectedly  the  great 
joy  of  going  home. 

John  was  carefully  disposed  of,  in  a  hospi- 
tal at  xilexandria,  and  at  the  end  of  one  week 
Colonel  Merwin  and  Paul  turned  Northward. 

What  a  length  of  time  the  week  seemed  to 
Katie,  who  kept  the  secret  nestled  closely  in 
her  heart ;  and  every  time  Sydney  returned . 


182  KATE    morgan's    SOLDIERS. 

from  the  post-office  Katie  trembled  lest  there 
should  come  a  letter  from  Colonel  Merwin  re- 
vealing her  having  written  the  letter.  But 
no  letter  came,  and  at  the  end  of  a  week  Mrs. 
Merwin  began  to  watch  for  Sydney's  return 
quite  as  nervously  as  Katie. 

During  this  week  Mrs.  Merwin  had  rapidly 
failed  in  strength  and  spirits.  On  the  first 
days  of  it  her  placid  face  was  only  aiissed  at 
the  morning  gathering,  but  ere  the  week 
ended  it  came  not,  morning,  noon,  nor  night, 
and  Maria  was  recalled  to  the  family  to  take 
the  responsibility  of  its  daily  duties. 

Lizzie  became  anxious,  and  Sydney  greatly 
desired  to  ''call  the  doctor,"  reminding  Katie 
and  Lizzie  of  the  time  in  Greendale,  when  the 
mystery  of  their  Kansas  life  was  solvable  .to 
Sydney  through  the  same  aid ;  but  Mrs. 
Merwin  quieted  Lizzie  with  a  bright  smile, 
and  Sydney  with  the  assurance  that  the  doc- 
tor w^ould  not  benefit  her  in  the  least,  and, 
meanwhile,  a  strange,  tremulous  quiver  ho- 
vered around  Katie  every  time  she  saw  Kivni 
Lizzie ; — and  that  was  very  often,  for  she 
would  scarcely  leave  her  side  for  any  other 
•  call  w^hich  it  was  possible  to  avoid. 


A    NEW    PHASE.  183 

It  was  Saturday  afternoon,  and  Katie  re- 
ported tliat  Aunt  Lizzie  felt  better  and  that 
she  wished  I'to  talk  to  the  children.  They 
gathered  in  her  room. 

Sydney  whispered  in  boyish,  blushing  con- 
fidence to  Lizzie  that  he  didn't  know  his  mo- 
ther was  so  beautiful  before ;  and  he  gazed 
at  her  in  admiration  as  she  lay  with  the  soft 
flush  of  excitement  upon  her  face. 

Mrs.  Merwin  had  made  this  effort  for  her 
children,  because  she  Avished  them  to  com- 
prehend, as  fully  as  children  might,  and  as 
fully  as  she  could  make  known  to  them,  the 
causes  of  the  terrible  conflict,  until  even 
Johnny  found  out  what  father  wore  such 
bright  buttons  on  his  coat  for,  and  Mamy 
was  quite  learned  in  the  war-primer. 

"This  has  tired  you  very  much,  mother," 
said  Sydney,  when  the  last  little  question 
had  received  a  careful  answer. 

"  Well,  dear  boy,  what  then ;  do  not  your 
father  and  Paul  get  tired?" 

''  But  they  are  soldiers,  and  expect  it." 

"  And  so  we  all  are,  Sydney  ;  do  you  be- 
lieve that  Paul  is  any  more  of  a  soldier  this 
summer  than  you  are,  who  have  been  over- 
16 


184  KATK    .morgan's   tiOLDIEP.S. 

coming  your  dislike  to  farm-work,  day  alter 
day?  I  am  certain  that  I  am  prouder  of 
you  than  I  should  be  if  you  had  fought  in  all 
the  battles  that  have  been  waged  since  this 
war  commenced." 

'^  Don't  be,  mother,  for  I  don't  deserve  it ; 
it  is  all  Katie,  for  I  should  have  given  it  all 
up  long  ago  if  she  hadn't  talked  to  me  every 
day,  and  taken  long  walks  over  the  farm,  and 
praised  my  work  ever-so-much  more  than  it 
deserved;"  and  Sydney,  after  making  the 
confession,  hurried  away,  afraid  of  any  more 
words. 

Mrs.  Merwin  was  left  alone.  The  summer 
afternoon  light  came  into  her  room  in  faint 
gleams,  and  such  as  found  ingress  through 
closed  blinds  and  overshadowing  trees,  and 
in  with  them  from  the  outer  world,  or  from 
the  warmer  inner  world  of  wishes,  there 
came  into  the  room  the  desire  to  see  her 
husband,  and  the  half-formed  intention  to 
ask  Katie  to  vrrite  to  him ;  but  with  it  came 
the  thought  of  needless  pain,  and  the  belief 
that  he  could  not  come ;  and  then  Mrs.  Mer- 
w^in  closed  her  eyes  and  tried  to  rest  from  all 
care. 


A    NKW    PHASE.  185 

Katie  Morgan  looked  in  at  her,  and  went 
to  husli  the  house,  as  Aunt  Lizzie  was  asleep ; 
and  then  Katie  and  Lizzie  carried  their  sew- 
ing to  the  bell-pear  tree,  and  under  its  softly- 
stirring  leaves,  just  beside  Mrs.  Merwin's 
window,  they  sat  to  sew. 

"  What  are  you  watching  the  hill  for,  and 
what  are  you  thinking  of?"  asked  Lizzie,  as 
she  saw  Katie  intent  on  the  former. 

"  It  is  almost  time  for  Sydney  to  come,  and 
I  was  thinking  of  a  letter  that  we  niight  get 
to-day,  and  that  would  make  to-morrow  so 
much  pleasanter,  than  to  have  to  wait  and 
wait,  and  be  reaching  over  Sunday  into  Mon- 
day for  it."  Katie  jumped  up  as  she  finished 
her  reply,  and  was  off  with  haste,  for  she  saw 
and  knew  a  straw-hat  glancing  in  and  out 
among  the  tree-tops  that  were  half-way  down 
the  hill.  She  waved  her  white  signal  in  vain 
to  Sydney.  He  would  not  respond,  but  he 
seemed  in  anxious  haste,  and  Katie  went 
down  the  hill  until  she  met  him. 

"  Any  letters,  Sydney  ?"  was  her  question. 

"  No,  Katie,  something  better." 

"  What  could  be  better?" 

*'  Two  soldier?,  Katie." 


186  KATE    morgan's   SOLDIERS. 

"  Guess  as  well  as  you  can." 

"  Not  Uncle  John  and  Paul  ?" 

''  Guess  again." 

"I  don't  wish  to,  for  I  don't  care,  now," 
said  Katie ;  and  she  turned  away  from  Syd- 
ney, angry  with  him  for  having  disappointed 
her. 

Sydney  turned  with  her.  Katie's  eyes 
were  full  of  tears,  and  she  was  steadfastly 
trying  to  look  through  the  present  at  a 
mountain  in  the  distance. 

"  Katie  !  Cousin  Katie !"  said  Sydney,  and 
he  put  his  arm  around  her,  "  look  down  there 
and  see  my  two  soldiers.  They  are  worth 
looking  at." 

Katie's  eyes  took  a  fabulously  rapid  jour- 
ney from  the  distant  mountain  to  the  bridge 
at  the  foot  of  the  hill,  and  she  escaped  Syd- 
ney's arm,  suddenly  exclaiming,  "What  a 
story,  Sydney  Merwin!"  and  Sydney  ran 
after  the  fleet-footed  child,  exclaiming,  "  No 
story  at  all,  Katie;  it  is  Colonel  Merwin, 
not  Uncle  John,  and  Sergeant  Lee  and  not 
Paul,  for  they  are  soldiers,  you  know." 

But  Katie  did  not  heed  Sydney  any  more, 


A    NEW    PHASE.  187 

for  a  very  tall  soldier  held  her  very  fast,  and 
was  calling  her  loving  names ;  and  a  bright 
young  face  was  waiting  to  give  her  welcome, 
and  between  the  two  and  the  joy  that  was 
just  in  store  for  dear  Aunt  Lizzie,  Katie  was 
as  happy  as  any  young  girl  has  been  since 
the  unnatural  war  began. 

Lizzie  was  curious  to  know  what  Katie  ran 
away  for,  and  determined  to  look  after  her, 
and  in  her  slow,  moderate  way,  found  the 
gate  and  the  road,  and  there  she  saw  coming 
up  the  hill,  Sydney  and  Katie,  and  with 
them  two  soldiers.  Lizzie  rubbed  her  eyes  a 
minute  to  clear  her  vision,  and  then,  with  a 
scream  of  delight,  she  went  down  the  hill  as 
fast  as  possible  to  meet  her  father  and  Paul. 

The  scream  of  Lizzie  aroused  Mrs.  Merwin, 
and  she  called  Katie,  and  Katie  not  answer- 
ing, she  called  Lizzie,  and  getting  no  reply, 
she  rang  her  bell  for  Maria,  but  Maria  had 
heard  the  scream  likewise  and  had  gone  to 
learn  its  cause. 

Mrs.  Merwin  lay  wondering  at  the  intense 

.silence  that  reigned  through  the  house,  and 

as  she  listened,  a  careful  hand  gently  pushed 

opened  the  door,  and  Katie  Morgan's  sweet 

16* 


188  KATE   morgan's  SOLDIERS. 

face  followed  it.  ^^I  tliouglit  may-be  you 
were  asleep/'  she  said,  "  and  I  didn't  wish  to 
disturb  you." 

"Who  screamed?"  asked  Mrs.  Merwin. 

"Lizzie — she  was  so  glacl;"  and  Katie's 
face  broke  into  a  wealth  of  happiness  delicious 
to  see,  but  she  buried  it,  happiness  and  all, 
for  an  instant  in  Aunt  Lizzie's  pillow ;  and 
the  happiness  sprung  up  with  wonderful 
growth  into  Aunt  Lizzie's  face  as  she  quickly 
said,  "  Tell  me,  Katie,  what  it  is  ?" 

"Why  aunt,  it's  Uncle  John  and  Paul 
come  home!"  and  now  Katie's  face  watched 
the  effect  of  her  words,  fearing  the  joy  might 
be  too  much  for  Aunt  Lizzie. 

"  Where  is  he  ?"  said  she. 

"  Here,"  said  the  familiar  voice  of  Colonel 
Merwin,  and  the  joyous  scene  that  followed 
we  need  not  describe. 

"  Can  I  go  in  now  ?"  said  Paul  to  Katie, 
who  was  making  her  escape. 

"Certainly,  Paul,  only  don't  stay  long." 

"Katie!  Kit  tie  !  Pussy!"  were  the  calls 
through  Aunt  Myra's  house  a  little  later,  but 
Katie  seemed  to  have  gone  from  the  premises. 
Paul  undertook  a  voyage  of  discovery,  and 


A  NEW   PHASE.  189 

appeared  suddenly  in  tlio  garret,  where 
Katie  had  hidden  herself  away  from  mortal 
eyes. 

''  What  is  it,  Katie  ?"  he  asked.  ''  Are  you 
sorry  to  see  us  come  home  without  the  honor 
of  a  scar  ?  But  John  has  saved  the  credit  of 
the  family  for  you." 

''  Sorry  !  Paul.  Think  of  Aunt  Lizzie  ;  do 
you  know,  Paul,  that  I  think  she  is  just  as 
much  of  a  hero  as  any  that  they  bring  home 
with  such  loads  of  military  honours ;  and  I 
have  been  afraid  that  she  would  die  before 
Uncle  John  came,  and  now  that  he  is  come  I 
am  going  to  ask  him  to  stay  at  home.  Do  you 
think  he  will?" 

"If  yow  ask  him." 

"  You're  laughing  at  me,"  and  then  sud- 
denly remembering  something  forgotten  in 
her  joy,  Katie  asked,  "  Where  is  Trip?" 

"  Tied  up  at  the  stage-office  for  fear  he'd 
get  home  before  us." 

"  And  not  hurt  one  bit?" 

''Your  eyes  shall  give  testimony  to  satisfy 
yourself,  Katie." 

''AndColie?" 

''  Alive  and  well ;  anything  more,  Katie  ?" 


190  KATE    MORGAN' 'S    SOLDIERS. 

''  Yes,  your  Bible  ;  did  you  lose  it  in  the 
battle?" 

For  answer,  Paul  took  out  the  precious  lit- 
tle packet  and  gave  it  silently  into  her  hands. 

Katie  opened  it  and  ran  her  fingers  through 
the  leaves.  She  started  suddenly,  saying, 
'^  There  is  blood  on  it — "Were  you  hurt. 
How  came  it  there?" 

^'  Poor  fellows,  Katie !  I  gave  it  to  the 
wounded  soldiers  to  read.  These  are  sacred 
marks.  The  blood  of  heroes  is  there;"  and 
Paul  took  his  Bible — Katie's  last  best  gift  to 
him — and  looked  tenderly  at  it. 

*'  It  is  very  good,  isn't  it,  Paul?" 

''What,  Katie?" 

''  All  these  things — I  mean  all  that  God 
does.     Shall  we  go^'for  Trip  ?" 

Mamy,  John  Junior,  Katie,  and  Paul,  went 
in  the  soft  summer  gleaming  to  welcome  Trip, 
and  brought  him  home  with  great  rejoicing  ; 
and  on  that  August  night  Aunt  Myra's 
house  resounded  with  a  happy  hymn,  written 
of  God  for  those  that  love  Him. 


THE 

imuritan  SunbajT-scIjuoI  Mn'ian 

HAS   JUST   PUBLISHED 

"THE  BIBLE  READER." 

THE  "WORD  METHOD"    APPLIED  TO  THE   BIBLE. 

This  work  is  constructed  upon  the  principle  familiar 
to  many  teachers  as  the  "Word  Method."  Several 
elementary  books  on  this  plan  are  in  extensive  use  in 
this  country  and  in  England.  By  it  the  child  or  adult 
is  introduced,  at  once,  to  the  knowledge  of  tvoi'ds  as 
signs  of  ideas,  instead  of  acquiring  a  knowledge  of  let- 
ters as  the  elements  of  2cords. 

In  the  proper  use  of  this  method,  a  competent  know- 
ledge of  the  art  of  reading  can  be  obtained  by  children 
or  adults  in  a  very  few  days  or  weeks  at  most.  And 
the  advantage  of  it  is  specially  obvious  for  adults, 
who  have  neither  time  nor  patience  to  endure  the 
tedious  and  seemingly  useless  process  of  alphabetical 
and  monosyllable  instruction  which  is  usually  adopted. 

"  THE  BIBLE  READER"  is  published  in  a  cheap 
form,  for  general  use,  at  15  cents.  The  TABLETS, 
which  are  of  use  in  teaching  large  classes,  may  be  had 
in  sheets  for  4  cents  each,  or  on  cards  fur  17  cents 
each. 

J^^  A  Circular,  explaining  ^and  illustrating  the 
principle,  and  containing  the  opinions  of  eminent  teach- 
ers and  philologists,  will  be  forwarded  mpon  postpaid 
application. 

Samples  of  the  Book  and  Tal)lcts  will  also  bo 


furnished  by  mail  to  teachers — especially  of  Mission 
and  Adult  Scliools — -who  ■will  remit  fifteen  cents  for 
payment  of  postage. 

From  S.  S.  liandall,  Esq,,  Super intende at  of  Public 
Schools  ofXeio  York  City. 

"I  have  examined  with  great  interest  and  pleasure 
the  little  work,  put  into  my  hands  a  few  evenings  since, 
entitled  'The  Bible  Reader:  or,  Scripture  Heading 
Made  Easy,^  published  by  The  American  Sunday- 
School  Union,  -with  the  accompanying  series  of  charts. 
The  plan  there  pursued  of  teaching  words  in  the  first 
instance,  and  before  any  knowledge  of  the  distinctive 
letters  of  the  alphabet  is  communicated,  is  one  which 
meets  my  entire  approbation  as  an  elementary  process 
of  instruction. 

"  I  have  invariably  pursued  the  same  course  in  the 
early  tuition  of  the  members  of  my  own  family ;  and 
experience  and  observation  have  long  since  convinced 
me  that  it  is  by  far  the  best  and  most  eflfectual  method 
of  teaching  reading.  I  would  recommend  in  the  com- 
pilation of  text-books  and  charts  of  this  description  as 
great  a  number  and  variety  of  pictorial  illustrations 
as  may  be  practicable,  as  they  serve  to  fix  the  idea 
designed  to  be  communicated  more  strongly  in  the 
mind. 

"  I  sincerely  trust  that  the  application  of  these  prin- 
ciples to  the  study  of  the  Bible  may  prove  the  means 
of  effecting  great  good  to  the  rising  generation." 

From  tlie  Superintendent  of  Public  Scliools  in  Chicago. 
I  have  examined  "  The  Bible  Reader"  with  much 
interest  and  satisfaction.  The  systen  adopted  in  teach- 
ing the  elements  of  feading  is  that  which  now  meets 
with  general  favour  among  the  most  intelligent  educa- 
tors, and  the  whole  work  is  admirably  adapted  to 
accomplish  the  objects  for  which  it  is  prepared. 

W.  H.  Wells, 

Supcitntendenf  of  Public  School*. 


THE  SILENT  COMFORTER. 

Texts  of  Scripture  for  Each  Day  of  the  Month. 

DESIGNED  FOR  USE   IN   TENTS,  HOSPITALS,   THE 
SICK-CIIAMBER,  SCHOOL-ROOM,  <tc.,  &c. 

Folio,  stitched  in  covers,  large  type,  37  cents. 

*'  The  Silent  Comforter. — Under  this  appropriate 
title,  The  American  Sunday-School  Union,  1122 
Chestnut  Street,  have  issued  a  folio  volume,  containing 
a  judicious  selection  of  short,  striking,  and  appropriate 
texts  from  the  Bible,  under  thirty-one  dififorcnt  heads, 
— branches  of  three  subjects,  viz.,  Christ,  Heaven,  and 
God.  There  is  also  the  favourite  hymn,  "Just  as  I 
am."  This  collection,  printed  in  large  and  very  legible 
type,  is  chiefly  intended  for  persons  confined  to  the 
sick-chamber,  but  may  be  used  by  all  -who  read  the 
word  of  God  the  last  thing  at  night  and  the  first  thing 
in  the  morning.  "We  would  suggest  their  use  in  the 
Sunday-school  also.  There  is  a  simple  mechanical 
arrangement  whereby  the  collection  can  be  hung  up  in 
view  and  any  particular  subject  made  visible.  The 
price  of  the  whole  colU'ctiou  is  only  thirty-seven  cents, 
and  it  can  be  safely  sent  through  post  for  tliirteen 
cents."— 2^7^'  JWss. 

GRATIS  COPIES. 

To  persons  who  buy  to  give  away,  every  eleventh 
copy  of  "  The  Bible  Reader,"  and  also  of  the  "  Silent 
Comforter,"  will  be  gratia. 


The  only  Periodicals  now  published  by  the  American 
Sunday-School  Union  are 

"THE  SUNDAY-SCHOOL  WORLD," 

A  MONTHLY  EELIGIOUS  NEWSPAPER, 

IG  pages,  quarto,  for  Sunday-school  Teachers,  Bible 
classes,  parents  and  all  -who  are  engaged  or  interested 
in  the  religious  training  of  the  young.  Only  25  cents 
per  annum. 

"THE  CHILD'S  WORLD," 

A  cheap  paper  for  children  and  youth,  embellished  with 
numerous  elegant  wood  engravings.  100  copies, 
monthly,  one  year,  $6.00.     Semi-monthly,  S12.00. 

Specimen  copies  furnished  gratuitously  on  (postpaid) 
application  to  any  of  the  Depositories.  \ 

Philadelphia,  No.  1122  Chestnut  Street. 
New  York,  599  Broadway. 

Sample  copies  furnished  and  subscriptions  received 
also  by  HENRY  D.  XOYES,  Agent,  No.  117  Washing- 
ton Street,  Boston,  George  Crosby,  41  West  FiJlirth 
Street,  Cincinnati,  Ohio  ;  Tomlinson  Brothers,  153  & 
155  Lake  Street,  Chicago,  Illinois ;  J.  W.  Mclntyre, 
9  South  Fifth  Street,  St.  Louis,  Missouri ;  and  by  Wm. 
H.  Bulkley,  313  Fourth  Street,  Louisville,  Ky. 


^ 


; 


RARE  BOOK 
COLLECTION 


THE  LIBRARY  OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF 

NORTH  CAROLINA 

AT 

CHAPEL  HILL 


Wilmer 
646 


